The weekly suspensions are necessary while signal upgrades are made to the system. Watch video
The calendar has turned to August, which means one thing for PATH riders: the dreaded 33rd Street line shutdown is almost here.
Beginning this Saturday at 12:10 a.m., weekend service on the 33rd Street line will be temporarily discontinued until the following Monday each week.
The weekly suspensions, which are necessary while upgrades are made to the system, will affect commuters, late night revelers, tourists and anyone else who uses PATH on the weekends.
To get you prepped for the shutdown, here are the essential things to know about the upcoming service changes:
1. The work is federally mandated
The service suspensions will allow crews to install the federally-mandated Positive Train Control and Communications Based Train Control. The new signal system will allow PATH trains to safely run closer together, increasing the number of trains that can fit on the system during peak times, the Port Authority has said. PATH has largely been able to install PTC on the rest of the system without major service outages, but officials say the tunnel layout on the 33rd Street line makes this impossible while maintaining regular service.
2. The 33rd Street line suspension will last until mid-December
The Port Authority has said the service changes will be in effect until Dec. 19, with the exclusion of major holidays. Normal weekend service will resume on Labor Day (Sept. 3-5), Veteran's Day (Nov. 11-13), and Thanksgiving (Nov. 24-27).
3. Weekend service between Hoboken, WTC added
Special weekend train service will operate directly between Hoboken and World Trade Center. There will also be supplemental train service from Journal Square to WTC, to be adjusted on an ongoing basis to best suit ridership needs, PATH officials said.
4. Port Authority will offer bus service from WTC
Here's an interesting wrinkle: A free weekend shuttle bus service will operate between World Trade Center and 29th Street along Sixth and Seventh avenues between midnight Saturdays and 5 a.m. Mondays.
PATH is offering free shuttle service from World Trade Center on weekends. Shuttles will operate every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to midnight, and every 20 or 30 minutes between midnight and 7 a.m.
Uptown-bound buses stop on Sixth Avenue at the following stops:
- 125 Church Street -- Church Street and Warren Street (pick-up stop)
- Minetta Playground -- West Third Street and Sixth Avenue (drop-off stop)
- 546 Sixth Avenue -- West 15th Street and Sixth Avenue (drop-off stop)
- 832 Sixth Avenue -- West 29th Street and Sixth Avenue (drop-off stop)
Downtown-bound buses stop on Seventh Avenue at the following stops:
- Fashion Institute of Technology -- West 28th Street and Seventh Avenue (pick-up stop)
- 56 Seventh Ave. -- West 14th Street and Seventh Avenue (pick-up stop)
- 84 Seventh Ave. South -- Barrow Street and Seventh Avenue South (pick-up stop)
- 107 Church St. -- Church and Murray streets (drop-off stop)
5. You'll need a voucher to ride the shuttle
However, riders must obtain a round-trip shuttle bus voucher from a PATH representative prior to exiting the turnstiles at the World Trade Center station and before boarding the buses. Vouchers are only available at the World Trade Center station.