Newark-Penn Station (Amtrak/NJ Transit/PATH)

Penn Station is a major station located in NYC- wait, we already did Penn Station? What’s this then?! Oh, oh oh….this is NEWARK Penn. Alrighty. So, this is Newark’s Penn Station, located pretty much within downtown Newark. Let’s look. Buckle down, as this one’s a doozy.

So, starting off with the PATH part of the station – it’s, surprisingly, directly connected to the Northeast Corridor platforms. It’s also the only thing to serve the upper level of the station. Discharge only, however. As such, it’s barren with only turnstiles to exit. But, you do have signage pointing downwards, departure boards for NJT and Amtrak, and even a connection to One Gateway and signage pointing towards …the Prudential Center?! Hey, give Boston their landmarks back! oh….this is a DIFFERENT one. Okay, I see, and the Jersey Devils play here?! Sick! Well, I’m not exactly one to follow hockey much, so I’ll instead let the hockey fans duke it out in the comments. (I loosely follow the Boston Bruins, I’ll cheer them on, but I’m not exactly as diehard a fan as I am for Rhode Island FC). Alrighty, so moving on, the concourse has a waiting room that’s staffed with NJT staff, another office for Amtrak, Dunks, among other things. There’s also a bus terminal which, quite bluntly, looks dingy as shit. The NJT Rail/Amtrak platforms are okay, there’s a lot of natural light, though I have to ask: why are the track numbers weird? Why is there a Track A, why are the express tracks numbered 2 and 3, WHY IS TRACK 1 NOT THE INNERMOST NORTHBOUND TRACK?! Anyways, I digress. Uniquely, one NJT Rail line terminates here at rush hour, forcing transfers either to a PSNY-bound train or to PATH (Raritan Valley Line trains terminate here due to capacity restrictions in the tunnels ahead) This is also quite a popular spot for railfanning, despite the fact there’s no high-speed action. Moving on, though, in the basement is the Newark City Subway (the Newark Light Rail) stop. This one’s a balloon loop with two lines: the main line, and the Broad Street branch. It’s actually quite a fine little station, with tiling and all that, but it’s rather quiet – and eerily so, a stark contrast to the station above. There’s also, weirdly, no fare gates here for the NLR, nor were there fareboxes on the buses. Does NJT just expect people to fare evade? Did I also mention there’s music playing in the station at all times seemingly? I genuinely don’t think there’s any other station I’ve reviewed where music is a part of the experience. Now, I won’t say it’s bad because it isn’t – whoever chooses the soundtrack doesn’t blast the same garbage crap that Mr. John Doe on the #2 subway line will blast while everyone is stuck on a delayed train in the Bronx or Harlem, and shoutout to NJT for that. With that out of the way though, this really isn’t too terrible a station! I mean yeah, it feels a tad sketchy at times, but it really isn’t too terrible.

The good: It’s in downtown Newark! You also have a bunch of bus connections and almost every NJT Rail line (certainly, every Newark Division line except the Atlantic City Line). You also have PATH, while it isn’t as frequent however. You also have music playing in the station at pretty much all times, which is pretty nice.

The bad: It can be a tad sketchy at times. Also, does NJT expect fare evasion on the NLR? Also, be prepared for a bull to escape and wreak havoc on your morning commute. Also, your commute could easily be killed (regardless if you take PATH or the NEC) should the gigantic imposing drawbridge have to be opened.

Nearby points of interest: A lot. The Prudential Arena, Rutger’s Newark campus, along with NJIT.

Transit connections:
Amtrak (Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Northeast Regional, Vermonter)
PATH (Red Line/NWK-WTC)
NJT Rail (Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley)
Newark Light Rail (Grove St. Line, Broad St. Branch)
NJT bus (1, 5, 11, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 39, 40, 41, 44, 62, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 79, 108, 319, 361, 375, 378)

Overall, it’s not a bad station. It’s a bit sketchy, yeah, but it’s also downtown Newark. Despite being stupidly close to Penn Sta.-NY, it’s still an important station in its own right. Also, that oversized imposing drawbridge admittedly looks sick, all things considered. I do wonder though, if it ever opens.

Rating: 8.5/10