Penn Station plans concern commuter group

A transit rider advocacy group says it is concerned that the planned Amtrak work at New York Penn Station won’t go as smoothly as officials hope.
David Peter Alan, head of the Lackawanna Coalition, says that he is concerned that PATH trains will be over capacity due to all the additional transit riders in Hoboken.
Commuters who ride the Morris and Essex Line’s Midtown Direct service typically are able to ride straight into Manhattan. However, the Amtrak work will mean those riders will have to get off in Hoboken and find alternate routes into New York.
“It’s going to be total chaos,” says Alan. “[People] have an idea what their alternatives are…but they haven’t been told how much additional service there will be.”
Alan brought up his concerns during a New Jersey Transit budget committee meeting held in Newark Thursday. Other members of the public also brought up their concerns for the commuting disruptions.
“We do not believe that PATH will have room between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.….for all the additional riders from Hoboken in addition to the regular Hoboken riders who are also our constituents,” Alan says.
PATH has announced additional trains during the morning and evening rush times.
The service changes are expected to go into effect July 10.