Newark to NYC ... cheaply?

[Heather1972]

HI all -

 

We will be staying in Newark at the Ramada Plaza on Frontage Road in a few weeks. Hubby has announced he wants to go to NYC that night before our cruise. :eek: Hmm... how do we get there with out costing an arm and a leg? Thanks!

[138east]

HI all -

 

We will be staying in Newark at the Ramada Plaza on Frontage Road in a few weeks. Hubby has announced he wants to go to NYC that night before our cruise. :eek: Hmm... how do we get there with out costing an arm and a leg? Thanks!

 

Where do you want to go in NYC?

[Heather1972]

Probably Time Square area.

[138east]

Nj transit train from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station is $13/pp each way.

 

NJ transit bus 62 stops in front of the Doubletree Hotel next door to the Ramada (Frontage Road - Sheraton on the schedule - http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf). Fare should be $1.60 exact change to Newark Penn Station where you can take NJ Transit to New York Penn Station for $5.50/pp or PATH to World Trade Center or 33rd St. for $2.75.

 

NJ Transit bus 62 stops at Terminal s A, B, and C at the airport and goes to Newark Penn Station for $1.60 exact change. You can use the hotel shuttle to get to the P4 Airtrain station to get to the terminals. This bus runs frequently.http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0062.pdf. Later at night it would be better to use this bus. You don't want to be hanging out in downtown Newark waiting for a bus late at night.

[Mar56]

Nj transit train from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station is $13/pp each way.

 

NJ transit bus 62 stops in front of the Doubletree Hotel next door to the Ramada (Frontage Road - Sheraton on the schedule - http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf). Fare should be $1.60 exact change to Newark Penn Station where you can take NJ Transit to New York Penn Station for $5.50/pp or PATH to World Trade Center or 33rd St. for $2.75.

 

NJ Transit bus 62 stops at Terminal s A, B, and C at the airport and goes to Newark Penn Station for $1.60 exact change. You can use the hotel shuttle to get to the P4 Airtrain station to get to the terminals. This bus runs frequently.http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0062.pdf. Later at night it would be better to use this bus. You don't want to be hanging out in downtown Newark waiting for a bus late at night.

 

Carol, we live in southwestern Ontario and are cruising out of Bayonne this January. I don't fly so we were going to drive to Newark but have decided to take Amtrak from Buffalo to New York. We can get to Newark Penn Station - where we've booked the Hilton right at the station, but it's a 1 hour and 20 minute wait for the connection with Amtrak, according to their schedule - for a 17 minute trip - and I've heard that the trains (Amtrak) often run late. Sooooo, can we get to Newark Penn Station via a train that isn't Amtrak? It looks like it from your comment above, but I just wanted to make sure - and how often do they run? We'd take a bus also - we'll have a backpack each plus a large duffle bag on wheels each. Is that an issue?

 

Marion

[chengkp75]

Carol, we live in southwestern Ontario and are cruising out of Bayonne this January. I don't fly so we were going to drive to Newark but have decided to take Amtrak from Buffalo to New York. We can get to Newark Penn Station - where we've booked the Hilton right at the station, but it's a 1 hour and 20 minute wait for the connection with Amtrak, according to their schedule - for a 17 minute trip - and I've heard that the trains (Amtrak) often run late. Sooooo, can we get to Newark Penn Station via a train that isn't Amtrak? It looks like it from your comment above, but I just wanted to make sure - and how often do they run? We'd take a bus also - we'll have a backpack each plus a large duffle bag on wheels each. Is that an issue?

 

Marion

 

Not real clear on what you are asking. Are you asking about train service to Newark from Canada or upstate NY, or from Newark to NY Penn Station as OP was looking for? Sounds like you are talking about arriving in Newark, since you mention baggage. The NJ transit trains are just that, commuter trains, not long distance runs.

[Mar56]

Not real clear on what you are asking. Are you asking about train service to Newark from Canada or upstate NY, or from Newark to NY Penn Station as OP was looking for? Sounds like you are talking about arriving in Newark, since you mention baggage. The NJ transit trains are just that, commuter trains, not long distance runs.

 

Sorry, I know it was unclear. We are taking Amtrak from Buffalo to New York Penn station. We were going to book straight through to Newark Penn station with Amtrak but there is a long wait once we get to New York for the connection.

 

I noticed this thread and looked at the timetables and if we took the New Jersey transit, we'd get to our hotel, right at Newark Penn Station much faster.

 

I just wanted to know if our luggage on the New Jersey system would be an issue? we will each have 1 large duffle bag on wheels plus back packs (typical Canadian eh?).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Marion

[chengkp75]

Sorry, I know it was unclear. We are taking Amtrak from Buffalo to New York Penn station. We were going to book straight through to Newark Penn station with Amtrak but there is a long wait once we get to New York for the connection.

 

I noticed this thread and looked at the timetables and if we took the New Jersey transit, we'd get to our hotel, right at Newark Penn Station much faster.

 

I just wanted to know if our luggage on the New Jersey system would be an issue? we will each have 1 large duffle bag on wheels plus back packs (typical Canadian eh?).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Marion

 

Ah. Yes, the NJ transit trains are a far better choice than Amtrak for this. Haven't actually done this with luggage, but from what I remember, it shouldn't be an issue.

[Mar56]

Thank you for the info chengkp75

[Post Captain]

We live in southwestern Ontario and are cruising out of Bayonne this January. I don't fly so we were going to drive to Newark but have decided to take Amtrak from Buffalo to New York. We can get to Newark Penn Station - where we've booked the Hilton right at the station, but it's a 1 hour and 20 minute wait for the connection with Amtrak, according to their schedule - for a 17 minute trip - and I've heard that the trains (Amtrak) often run late. Sooooo, can we get to Newark Penn Station via a train that isn't Amtrak? It looks like it from your comment above, but I just wanted to make sure - and how often do they run? We'd take a bus also - we'll have a backpack each plus a large duffle bag on wheels each. Is that an issue?

 

Marion

Just to expand a bit on the information already given by Carol and chengkp75: Yes, you can easily change to an NJ Transit train at New York Penn Station.

 

Amtrak and NJ Transit have their own separate and distinct areas within Penn Station. When you disembark from your Amtrak train, go up the escalators from the platform to the main level of Penn Station and then follow the signs to the NJ Transit waiting area. (If you don't see such signs, just follow the signs toward the 7th Avenue exit. The NJ Transit section of the station is on the right hand side as you approach the main 7th Avenue exit.)

 

This diagram of the upper level of Penn Station shows the relative locations of the Amtrak and NJ Transit sections within the station:

 

http://jasongibbs.com/pennstation/#upper

 

The following video should also give you a pretty clear idea of the station layout--it takes you from an Amtrak platform to the point (at about 3 minutes into the video) where the NJ Transit area is located. (No need to watch much past the 3-minute mark as the camera person exits the station.)

 

 

There are NJ Transit ticket windows and ticket machines in this area. The one-way fare is $5.25 for adults; $2.45 child/ senior (62+)/ disabled, and the trip takes less than 20 minutes. Depending on the time of day, there are usually about four or five trains an hour that stop at Newark Penn Station, so you shouldn't have a long wait for the next departure. Your ticket will be good on any train.

 

The track number for each NJ Transit train is posted and announced about ten minutes or so before departure. The moment this happens, there's usually a mad dash down the escalators or stairs to the platform. To avoid this bit of controlled chaos, take the elevator down to the platform.

 

I often travel with luggage on these trains. It's not the most comfortable way to travel, but for the short ride from New York to Newark, you should be fine with a backpack & duffel bag.

[Mar56]

Thank you SOOO much for that additional information.

 

I was thinking I'd need to find out all of that and there it was.

 

Marion

[138east]

Just to expand a bit on the information already given by Carol and chengkp75: Yes, you can easily change to an NJ Transit train at New York Penn Station.

 

Amtrak and NJ Transit have their own separate and distinct areas within Penn Station. When you disembark from your Amtrak train, go up the escalators from the platform to the main level of Penn Station and then follow the signs to the NJ Transit waiting area. (If you don't see such signs, just follow the signs toward the 7th Avenue exit. The NJ Transit section of the station is on the right hand side as you approach the main 7th Avenue exit.)

 

This diagram of the upper level of Penn Station shows the relative locations of the Amtrak and NJ Transit sections within the station:

 

http://jasongibbs.com/pennstation/#upper

 

The following video should also give you a pretty clear idea of the station layout--it takes you from an Amtrak platform to the point (at about 3 minutes into the video) where the NJ Transit area is located. (No need to watch much past the 3-minute mark as the camera person exits the station.)

 

 

There are NJ Transit ticket windows and ticket machines in this area. The one-way fare is $5.25 for adults; $2.45 child/ senior (62+)/ disabled, and the trip takes less than 20 minutes. Depending on the time of day, there are usually about four or five trains an hour that stop at Newark Penn Station, so you shouldn't have a long wait for the next departure. Your ticket will be good on any train.

 

The track number for each NJ Transit train is posted and announced about ten minutes or so before departure. The moment this happens, there's usually a mad dash down the escalators or stairs to the platform. To avoid this bit of controlled chaos, take the elevator down to the platform.

 

I often travel with luggage on these trains. It's not the most comfortable way to travel, but for the short ride from New York to Newark, you should be fine with a backpack & duffel bag.

 

Has NY Penn Station changed? I used to take Amtrak from Boston to NYPS and NJ Transit to Princeton and vice versa and never left the Amtrak area of the station. There used to be a NJ Transit ticket area there where you could buy a ticket from the machine and with an Amtrak ticket you could use the Amtak waiting area. No need to ever move to the NJ Transit area when coming off an Amtrak train.

 

If you put in New York Penn Station and Newark Penn Station and your date on this web page

http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo you will get a list of all the trains. Please note you can take either a Northeast Corridor Trenton train or a North Jersey Coast Line train to Newark Penn Station.

[Post Captain]

Has NY Penn Station changed? I used to take Amtrak from Boston to NYPS and NJ Transit to Princeton and vice versa and never left the Amtrak area of the station. There used to be a NJ Transit ticket area there where you could buy a ticket from the machine and with an Amtrak ticket you could use the Amtak waiting area. No need to ever move to the NJ Transit area when coming off an Amtrak train.

NJ Transit has had its own separate waiting & boarding area for a number of years now, in the southeast corner of Penn Station (near the 7th Avenue exits), whereas the Amtrak waiting/boarding area occupies the western side of the station (near the 8th Avenue exits). The NJ Transit section has its own (much more attractive) interior design and feels like a completely different place from the Amtrak area.

 

It is possible to access the tracks for NJ Transit trains via the lower level passageway beneath the Amtrak boarding area--but you really have to know your way around the "hidden" parts of the station. I wouldn't recommend that tourists try to get down to the tracks this way. ;)

 

And then there's the Long Island RR section, which I won't even try to describe! :eek::D

[138east]

NJ Transit has had its own separate waiting & boarding area for a number of years now, in the southeast corner of Penn Station (near the 7th Avenue exits), whereas the Amtrak waiting/boarding area occupies the western side of the station (near the 8th Avenue exits). The NJ Transit section has its own (much more attractive) interior design and feels like a completely different place from the Amtrak area.

 

It is possible to access the tracks for NJ Transit trains via the lower level passageway beneath the Amtrak boarding area--but you really have to know your way around the "hidden" parts of the station. I wouldn't recommend that tourists try to get down to the tracks this way. ;)

 

And then there's the Long Island RR section, which I won't even try to describe! :eek::D

 

Thanks for the update. I'm familiar with the lower level passageway - I used to sneak on the Boston train that way before the boarding was opened on the main level, but you're right - it's not for tourists.

[njhorseman]

NJ Transit has had its own separate waiting & boarding area for a number of years now, in the southeast corner of Penn Station (near the 7th Avenue exits), whereas the Amtrak waiting/boarding area occupies the western side of the station (near the 8th Avenue exits). The NJ Transit section has its own (much more attractive) interior design and feels like a completely different place from the Amtrak area.

 

It is possible to access the tracks for NJ Transit trains via the lower level passageway beneath the Amtrak boarding area--but you really have to know your way around the "hidden" parts of the station. I wouldn't recommend that tourists try to get down to the tracks this way. ;)

 

And then there's the Long Island RR section, which I won't even try to describe! :eek::D

 

I guess you learn something every day. I've never seen the separate NJ Transit waiting area...and it's not as if it's been years since I've used NJ Transit. I always wait in the Amtrak area.

 

Frankly I can't even form a mental picture of where it is. The Amtrak waiting room is so close to the tracks normally used by NJ Transit it wouldn't even occur to me to look for another waiting room.

[Heather1972]

Nj transit train from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station is $13/pp each way.

 

NJ transit bus 62 stops in front of the Doubletree Hotel next door to the Ramada (Frontage Road - Sheraton on the schedule - http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf). Fare should be $1.60 exact change to Newark Penn Station where you can take NJ Transit to New York Penn Station for $5.50/pp or PATH to World Trade Center or 33rd St. for $2.75.

 

NJ Transit bus 62 stops at Terminal s A, B, and C at the airport and goes to Newark Penn Station for $1.60 exact change. You can use the hotel shuttle to get to the P4 Airtrain station to get to the terminals. This bus runs frequently.http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0062.pdf. Later at night it would be better to use this bus. You don't want to be hanging out in downtown Newark waiting for a bus late at night.

 

Too many ways to get there! So, you are saying it's not a good idea to use bus 62 from Newark Penn Station at night to get back to the Doubletree Hotel? Night to us would be 10 to 11. We aren't out until the wee hours of the morning.

[Post Captain]

I guess you learn something every day. I've never seen the separate NJ Transit waiting area...and it's not as if it's been years since I've used NJ Transit. I always wait in the Amtrak area.

 

Frankly I can't even form a mental picture of where it is. The Amtrak waiting room is so close to the tracks normally used by NJ Transit it wouldn't even occur to me to look for another waiting room.

 

When you enter Penn Station at the main 7th Avenue entrance and go down the escalator or stairs to the upper level, it will be off to your left (off the main east-west corridor) just after you pass the first couple of shops.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7498696,-73.9920811,3a,38.6y,243.94h,88.53t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-W5C4kltVb5g%2FVh76jk-1BQI%2FAAAAAAAA5uw%2FAiUzn-kyR5k!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-W5C4kltVb5g%2FVh76jk-1BQI%2FAAAAAAAA5uw%2FAiUzn-kyR5k%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352

 

Also, the station entrance at the corner of 7th Ave & 31st St leads directly to the NJ Transit enclave:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7491892,-73.9919404,3a,29.1y,315.96h,86.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55ZJ1EOZGqZzHkRx_XgOMA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

There are actually about three distinct sub-sections (connected to each other by steps/ramps) to the NJ Transit enclave. You can also enter each section directly from the central corridor.

 

The ticket window area:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pennsylvania+Station/@40.7497492,-73.9924043,3a,90y,304.39h,68.94t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-JI23JvNXEQc%2FVh769PSo_rI%2FAAAAAAAA5uU%2FcdELp2o9SmU!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F-JI23JvNXEQc%2FVh769PSo_rI%2FAAAAAAAA5uU%2FcdELp2o9SmU%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7955420634fd7eba!6m1!1e1

 

Of course, the place is a madhouse during the evening rush hours:

 

So you might well be better off sticking to the "secret" route down to the trains from the Amtrak end of the station! ;)

 

Personally, when I take the train into Penn Station from NJ, I always walk back along the platform (toward the rear of the train) and use the stairs that come up into the lower level of the station beneath the Amtrak waiting area or (depending on the track and/or the particular stairway) directly into the Amtrak area on the upper level.

 

Given how confusing Penn Station can be even for people who pass through it regularly, I can only imagine how bewildering it can be for first-time tourists arriving or departing there.

[138east]

Nj transit train from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station is $13/pp each way.

 

NJ transit bus 62 stops in front of the Doubletree Hotel next door to the Ramada (Frontage Road - Sheraton on the schedule - http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf). Fare should be $1.60 exact change to Newark Penn Station where you can take NJ Transit to New York Penn Station for $5.50/pp or PATH to World Trade Center or 33rd St. for $2.75.

 

NJ Transit bus 62 stops at Terminal s A, B, and C at the airport and goes to Newark Penn Station for $1.60 exact change. You can use the hotel shuttle to get to the P4 Airtrain station to get to the terminals. This bus runs frequently.http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0062.pdf. Later at night it would be better to use this bus. You don't want to be hanging out in downtown Newark waiting for a bus late at night.

 

My bad. Thus is not correct. Bus 40 stops in front if the Doubletree. The link should show that schedule.

 

Check the two schedules. My point is that you don't want to be hanging out at Newark Penn Station for a long time waiting for a bus that runs infrequently. If you can catch a bus 40, that's fine. But if you miss it you can take bus 62 and get back to the hotel via the airport, Airtrain, and the free hotel shuttle. If you have to wait late at night, better to wait for the hotel shuttle at the P4 Airtrain station.