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I'm considering a job in Jersey City and i'm currently from Bucks County PA. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the Trenton Transit Center from my home and the office is about 3 minutes from Newport Station. A couple of options that I see are:
1)Trenton Transit Center to Secaucus and transfer to train to Hoboken. Hoboken is about a 15 minute walk to the office. Jumping on HBLR is an option to Newport instead of walking from Hoboken.
2)Trenton Transit Center to Newark Penn then transfer to PATH and transfer at Exchange Place again to go to Newport.
I've never done either of these trips and was wondering what anyone can offer in terms of additional options or if this is something that seems manageable on a daily basis? Are the stations nice/safe?
I would think Trenton to Newark would be the shortest, since Secaucus is beyond Newark, closer to NYC. Not sure what "Trenton Transit Center" is exactly, though. Do you get the NE Corridor Line there? If so, then go to Newark Penn and take PATH.
Newark Penn is OK. It's a busy train station and many people use it safely every day, including me. You WILL see some of the dregs of society there, since it's a busy major train station in a city that has poverty and ignorance issues. For example, there's the occasional person bathing (saw a woman washing her hair recently) in the Women's Room sinks. There are characters outside the station who, if they catch your eye, will ask you for change or cigarettes (usually there would be no reason for you to go outside the station), so you just don't catch their eye and walk purposefully if you do encounter them. Mostly you will see other commuters, and you almost always see NJ Transit police, too. There are shops to buy liquor/snacks/magazines/food in Newark Penn, as well.
Secaucus Junction, if you somehow end up going through there, is quieter, newer, nicer, and isolated so you don't have the "residents" living there. Same with Hoboken. It's mostly commuters, although there are people who sleep in the waiting room, but they don't bother anyone.
Exchange Place and Newport Stations on PATH are just stations to get off the PATH train. Nothing nice or not nice about them. They just are PATH stations. Though, I'm curious as to why you would go to Exchange Place and transfer to Newport. It would make more sense to switch at Journal Square to the 33rd Street train and get off at Newport. More direct.
I would think Trenton to Newark would be the shortest, since Secaucus is beyond Newark, closer to NYC. Not sure what "Trenton Transit Center" is exactly, though. Do you get the NE Corridor Line there? If so, then go to Newark Penn and take PATH.
Newark Penn is OK. It's a busy train station and many people use it safely every day, including me. You WILL see some of the dregs of society there, since it's a busy major train station in a city that has poverty and ignorance issues. For example, there's the occasional person bathing (saw a woman washing her hair recently) in the Women's Room sinks. There are characters outside the station who, if they catch your eye, will ask you for change or cigarettes (usually there would be no reason for you to go outside the station), so you just don't catch their eye and walk purposefully if you do encounter them. Mostly you will see other commuters, and you almost always see NJ Transit police, too. There are shops to buy liquor/snacks/magazines/food in Newark Penn, as well.
Secaucus Junction, if you somehow end up going through there, is quieter, newer, nicer, and isolated so you don't have the "residents" living there. Same with Hoboken. It's mostly commuters, although there are people who sleep in the waiting room, but they don't bother anyone.
Exchange Place and Newport Stations on PATH are just stations to get off the PATH train. Nothing nice or not nice about them. They just are PATH stations. Though, I'm curious as to why you would go to Exchange Place and transfer to Newport. It would make more sense to switch at Journal Square to the 33rd Street train and get off at Newport. More direct.
@Mightyqueen801
Yes. Trenton Transit Center is the first NJ Transit station on the NE Corridor Line (or last depending on your perspective). They renovated it a few years ago and renamed it from Trenton Station. Also added a few parking garages. Much improved.
As far as the PATH, am I correct that I would need to get on at Newark, transfer at Exchange Place and head to Newport? I was trying to figure it out on NYPA website but it's not easy to understand. It would be nice if there was a PATH train from Newark that went directly to Newport but it doesn't seem like there is. This is one of the reasons I was considering Secaucus to Hoboken. Little more time spent on the train but less time transferring (One less transfer) and waiting.
Yes. Trenton Transit Center is the first NJ Transit station on the NE Corridor Line (or last depending on your perspective). They renovated it a few years ago and renamed it from Trenton Station. Also added a few parking garages. Much improved.
As far as the PATH, am I correct that I would need to get on at Newark, transfer at Exchange Place and head to Newport? I was trying to figure it out on NYPA website but it's not easy to understand. It would be nice if there was a PATH train from Newark that went directly to Newport but it doesn't seem like there is. This is one of the reasons I was considering Secaucus to Hoboken. Little more time spent on the train but less time transferring (One less transfer) and waiting.
Thanks
No, it will take you longer that way. The only PATH train at Newark is the Newark to WTC line. You get on that, and at Journal Square Transportation Center, you switch to the 33rd Street Line, which stops at Newport a few minutes after it leaves JSTC. You COULD stay on the WTC train and switch at Exchange Place if you wanted to (I take PATH Newark to WTC and get off at Exchange Place myself because I work near that station) and go to Newport, but it seems as if you are going farther than you have to. JSTC to Newport seems more direct. Going to Hoboken will take longer, too.
Monmouth County? Do you take the train everyday or drive?
Do you find that the commute is worth it? The job I interviewed for is a significant increase in salary but moving closer to Jersey City would negate much of that salary increase. So the biggest question mark is the commute. If I can do it and stay in Bucks County it's worth it to change jobs. If not, then I'd probably turn it down. I may be psyching myself into it but I'm thinking maybe the hour from Trenton to Newark will be nice and relaxing where I can accomplish some things vs. the 35 minute stressful traffic laden ride I have now.
Monmouth County? Do you take the train everyday or drive?
Do you find that the commute is worth it? The job I interviewed for is a significant increase in salary but moving closer to Jersey City would negate much of that salary increase. So the biggest question mark is the commute. If I can do it and stay in Bucks County it's worth it to change jobs. If not, then I'd probably turn it down. I may be psyching myself into it but I'm thinking maybe the hour from Trenton to Newark will be nice and relaxing where I can accomplish some things vs. the 35 minute stressful traffic laden ride I have now.
I mostly take the train, but sometimes I drive for various reasons. Driving is more stressful.
I've been doing this commute for about two years--before that, it was longer because I worked in the Flatiron district of the city. I've been commuting for almost 35, but I used to live in North Jersey so the commute was a little shorter--not much, but a little shorter.
I am getting sick of it, frankly, but that's probably because I'm getting old and tired. I chose to live where I do because I'm close to the ocean, so the longer commute was the tradeoff. It's a choice you have to make. I work with people who live in the Poconos, and they make the choice to have a long commute so they can live where they love to live, too.
On the upside, I like to read, so when I'm taking the train, I do get a lot of reading done and the time passes very quickly. Sometimes I take naps, too!
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