Easiest way to train to NYC Penn station?
from h-town to Penn Station in NYC.
where do you make transfers? hoboken? newark? dover? montclair? (ouch!)
what platforms, staircases, etc. do you have to navigate? and how much time to they give to run up and down the stair cases and/or jump over tracks? (ouch!)
about 31 dollars round trip and a full 4+ hours of real time, (2x ouch!)
i can drive it in less, but the tunnel and parking will add up to about 60 dollars for the day, (Ouch again, wow!)
please, can you help a brother out?
("please Colonel Custer, please don't make me go . . . . . ." , apropos song lyric describes how i feel about this one)
thanks lifers.
BrotherDog Htown - Dover train takes you directly to Penn Station. $14.75 one way = $29.50 Round
About 3 1/2 hours spent round trip on the train.
No stairs at H-town and there are stairs and a ramp at Dover.
Look on Groupon.com....They sometimes have cheap parking at the parking garages. If not, your best bet is to catch the train.
ThereyaGoBrotherDog...LOL!!!
You can get a direct train from Dover to NY Penn for $28.50 roundtrip. The train ride is about 80 minutes. No transfers needed.
I think going out of Dover is very easy. Pay $5 for a day of parking, walk up maybe 7 steps and wait. I suggest buying your tickets inside or at the ticket machine. If you buy on the train they charge you more.
Hope that helps.
LovesPets And if you search discount parking tickets, nyc you can doo quite well...Icon and Central Parking have the most......I've paid as little as $10 or $15 in the theater district
nails Use the bus from PV. It will bring you in to Port and then you can go uptown or down town. It is worth it. (martz)
one run there's no good way in my opinion - the bus sucks because of rte 80 traffic - I drive to dover and train it.
skippy drive to Newport Mall in Jersey City, take PATH to 33rd street, walk under the streets to penn Sta.
I think PATH is $1.75
You can also take it from Journal Sq in Jersey City.
BrownEyesGuy I like Dover. It's the closest to home that has a direct train and the parking is very easy. Long trip, but think of it as some nice down time for reading :)
MB Dover is our go to. Parking is cheap and has direct to Penn Station. Hackettstown has very limited service.
Christine You can grab the train from hackettstown and it will either go to hoboken or penn station, if it goes to hoboken you switch at dover, if it goes to penn, then no switch. Its not bad at all, did it for alot of years, it does take a while like hour and 45 minutes
nygiantsfan ok thanks everybody , i just got back from the h-town station, and after looking at all of their posted schedule maps i have no idea which train goes where.
if i get on the right train at h-town, can i take it all the way to penn station without getting out and switching?
i mean, i must be stupider than i first thought, because according to the NJ transit docs posted at the station, you *MUST* change trains at some point, if you want to get to Penn Station in NY.
like one line goes to newark, another goes to secaucus, then still antother goes to hoboken, there is one that goes through montclair, (really?) then there are a few that just go to dover?
can i get on train in h-town, go to dover switch trains and then get off at penn station in the city? all on the same 29.50 round trip ticket? (i know, who the hell knows?, not me that's for sure)
i like the 29.50 round trip at the vending machine kiosk for sure, but am unsure what to do.
you guys are saying that if i get on at h-town, i have to change trains somewhere?
parking is free here in -h-town, who wants to pay another 5 bucks?
does the county college offer a two year degree in train schedules? are there any matching funds?
I always drive to Denville and take the train from there. $24 round trip and it takes about and hour and 15 minutes to an hour and twenty minutes.
Karen821 Parking at Dover and taking direct to NY Penn is the fastest route if you don't want to drive all the way to JC and take one from there. Last time I checked, full-day parking at Dover was about $5. Taking the train from Hackettstown > Dover > NY Penn takes way too long, the layover (usually at Dover, since that tends to be the quickest) is usually about 45 minutes/ 1 hour, and there isn't always a train back from one of the stations to Hackettstown.
Also, check the online schedules, since I've noticed differences at the station schedule versus what train is actually coming. The online schedules are updated most often and will show you UTD delays.
brother dog, take train from hackettstown to dover, switch at dover and that train will take you to penn station, thats it brother, you can switch at many stations but just switch at dover, one switch is all you needl
Might as well take train from Hackettstown (assuming schedule is favorable). It takes 25 to 35 minutes to get to Dover or Denville. Add that to train travel time and it works out pretty close. AND, you don't have the inconvenience of driving back to town.
EVV thanks guys,
can this dover train swtich be accomplished on a round trip ticket bought at the h-town station? (29.50 to Penn station, and they say nothing about switching trains)
or are there multiple ticket purchases involved?
The only problem with that EVV is that the last time I did that, I had to leave the city by 3:30 just so I could catch a train in from Dover to Hackettstown that didn't come in after 12am!
BD NO trains come straight from Penn station to Hackettstown. You have to switch in Dover. AND they are limited. Just remember you have to check times.
Have you checked the website NJ transit.
http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo
you either change trains at dover or broad street Newark - the reason for this is that past Dover there is no catinary - eg. electric over head lines and a diesel train needs to complete the trip. FDNY will not allow a diesel train to traverse the Amtrak tunnel into NY-PENN. got to love warren county.. it really depends where you need to go in NYC. I go into lower Manhattan - it may behoove you to go into Hoboken and take the ferry.
We recently went into the NYC by parking in Carlstadt and taking the bus (approx $5) from there.
grapes If I'm going into the city all day, i drive to Denville and take the train from there. $3 parking $28 round trip.
If I'm going into the city for half a day i drive to secaucus, $19 parking $8 round trip fare.
Njchia To answer your one question, there are no other tickets to be purchased to change trains. One ticket is all you need.
Good luck;)
Blackcat We have gone and used the Peapack station...very easy to get to (just a few miles down 206 from Chester) and is a different line that the Boonton one. Check it out. Think it goes out of Annendale etc. Worth a look....
acl76 the bottom line is we need to know where you need to go - feel free to send me an email and ill plot a trip for you. parking in NYC is a bear (and I have a placard for street parking). It is highly recommended to take mass transit.
If you need to go to Penn Station without extra driving, you can go to Mt. Arlington - free parking, easy transfer in Dover.
The easiest (and cheapest and fastest) way to get to NYC is Lakeland bus. I prefer to take a bus from Dover terminal. Bus goes and comes from NYC every a half hour (every hour on Sunday).
Lena thanks guys i got it i think, i've been there many times, one of my client sites, but i always parked accross the street from the business,
they are on west 28th street and it is only a few blocks walk from Penn station.
i think i'm gonna take the train the whole way and switch at either dover or newark depending on when i leave h-town
the 6;43 am departure from h-town means i switch in newark at 8;19.
the 08:22 am departure from h-town means i switch at dover at 8:55 am and then at 09:07 am leave dover and arrive in NYC penn station at 10:22 am (too late to start my work day, just not my style)
coming home, same thing, probably won't hit h-towm til 6:38 pm off of the dover switch
thank you very much everybody for all of your help , i appreciate it.
gonna go downstairs and pack some sandwiches and set up the coffee, going to be a long day that's for sure.
(bergy, missed your washboard tonight, hope all is well with you)
OK, BD, you're now obligated to post here when you arrive safely without ending up in Vermont or Virginia, and also when you return home safely.
Further, we request you wear a Paddington-style "Please look after this bear" tag *just in case* you get lost.
Rebecka Another option is taking bus from Willowbrook Mall = parking free and if you're a "senior" bus is about $5 each way. More direct bus than from Rockaway Mall = you have to do the Rt. 80 traffic though.
3cats BLD -
if traveling from Dover, Mt. Arlington, Rockaway Mall - $12 one way / $22.90 round trip. Free parking.
if traveling from Budd Lake, Netcong, Byram, Sparta - $12.65 / $24.60. Free parking.
50% discount for seniors and kids.
Even cheaper if buying ten-trip ticket.
What I really like about Lakeland bus - there are practically no delays with bus leaving on schedule (arriving can be sometimes tricky due to traffic accidents but very rare). Train has constant issues with following a schedule. Also they add additional buses coming from NYC when needed (before holidays and on some Fridays). Great service!
if your going to drive that much of 80 you may as well park in secaucus and take the train one stop.
i'm here in NYC !!
thanks for the laugh rebeccka, could you tell i didn't even want to leave home?
took the 6:43 am train out of h-town, got the tickets a the vending kiosk, got round trip for 29.50 and the machine spits out two tickets, one for going and another one i need to use later for getting back.
ticket said right on it, h-town to dover, and then dover to Penn Station.
got on the train, looking scared, conductor said i would be allright. must seen me as the pic that rebecka posted, am i that transparent? oh my.
he punched my ticket twice (h-town and dover marks onthe card) and handed it back to me saying "you'll need this on the next train"
got to dover and got off that diesel locomotive,
sat on the bench, waited 14 mins and got on the next trian (electrci deouble decker model) which left dover at 7:33 am, that conductor laughed out loud right at me when I asked if this train goes all the way into Penn Station, "And what if it doesn't?" he lauged back at me, "well i'm in big trouble then" , i replied, "you're NOT gonna be in any trouble" he threw over his shoulder as he punched more tickets in the car.
got to NY right on time,
thanks guys.
Now . . . . . . . . . . i have to navigate the platforms at Penn Station to get the train back to dover, nicely dressed lady in heels who ran up the stairs with me (why is everybody running in NY?) said finding the right platform in time for your train back home is kind of a crap shoot, you have to read the leader boards, note the stair case and platform numbers, and then you have run and hope you make it in time.
will let you all know how it goes/
thanks again,
(gotta get back to work now)
Hi everyone - I'm trying to figure out the train schedule for picking up/dropping off my daughter when she comes home from school.
She can take the Amtrak into New York or Newark Penn Station. From there is where I'm trying to figure things out.
Based on the above and the train websites, I have the below options:
1) New York Penn Station to Dover, NJ - direct is ~88 minutes @~$15
2) New York Penn Station to Newark Penn Station (or Hoboken or Jersey City) via the Path
3) Newark Penn Station to Morristown/Dover/Morris Plains/Hackettstown
If I understand it correctly, option 3, travel time-wise, seems to be a nightmare. Because of all of the transfers, we're looking at a 2-3 hour one-way train ride.
Option 1 is good if I don't want to drive into Newark/Hoboken/Jersey City.
I'm leaning towards option 2 as that would allow me park and take the path into New York to meet her. If I select option 2, which location do you think is the easiest to get to and park at? I'm open to other locations as well. Let's assume I'm there for about 2 hours, what would the estimated parking fee be (website doesn't list them as they're all private garages)?
Thank you in advance.
emaxxman It's been a while, but when taking the PATH into the city, I would always park at the Harrison station instead of dealing with Newark parking. There's a parking garage nearby that's reasonably priced...
http://harrisonparkingcenter.com/rates.htm
ianimal The few times I've taken the PATH into the city, we parked at a garage in Hoboken on/near River Street (I think the one between 2nd and 3rd - there may be a few in that area). It's only a couple blocks from the station and I don't recall it being a rough neighborhood.
Relatively easy to get into/out of... although there's a bit of weaving to get on/around the Pulaski Skyway on the way there.
My friend also used to park (illegally) in the Wendy's lot by a station in Kearny/Newark sometimes, but I wouldn't recommend that ;)
Mark Mc. Amtrak to Newark Penn; pick her up there. There are lots adjacent to the station; should be no problem to park unless maybe there is an event at the Prudential Arena(?).
jd2 I agree with jd2 if you're driving all the way there -
Even if there is something at the arena, it's still a bit away from there and other parking lots handle the events. If you time it right with her on your cell, you can probably just roll up and not even have to park if you pick up at Newark Penn.
Otherwise, personally, I wouldn't send her on the train. Lakeland bus out of Port Authority is cheaper and a half hour shorter into Dover. Easy pickup at the end of the line.
GC We always used Metropark Station (Amtrak) in Iselin when picking up our daughter from school. It's about 1 hour from Hackettstown.
WS Mark: what if I buy a value meal? LOL.
Thank all for the help. Looks like Amtrak to Newark with pickup is the best option so far. I'll check out Iselin too.
Station in peapack is a different line..parking is safe and free. Runs on the weekend.
dsl102927 When my daughter went to college in DC (some time ago) on her first visit home she took Amtrak. Then she always took a bus to New York and then Lakeland bus (or Lakeland bus and bus to school). Sometimes Amtrak and train are very unreliable, especially during or after bad weather.
just and FYI - newark penn station and newark broad street are 2 different things. there is a light rail necessary to connect http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/LightRail/sf_lr_nlr_map.pdf
and the hackettstown line runs from broad street
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