JFK-EWR / EWR-JFK transit / connections (consolidated)
 

Have done a search, and can't seem to find anything. What is the cheapest, safest, and fastest way to get from JFK to EWR. I may have a 3hr41min layover, which is plenty. I get in around 6am and have to be at EWR by 9:30am.

Thanks

There is an excellent site called www.toandfrom.org which lists public transport connections for most of the world's airport.

The Newark page is here - if you scroll down you will find contact details for various companies that run shuttle services to JFK.

It sounds like you are looking for three different answers:

1) cheapest way;
2) safest way;
3) fastest way.

What is your priority? Price, safety, or speed? Are you making the connection on a weekday or on a weekend? How many are in your party?

The following information is taken from the Port Authority's website, www.panynj.gov:


"Service Approximate Frequency & Travel Time
Airporter (Princeton Airporter)
1-800-385-4000 or (609) 587-6600
$22 Frequent service
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
90 minutes

AirTrain JFK to Long Term Parking/Howard Beach Station. Connect to New York City Subway A train to NY Penn Station/34th Street. Connect to NJ Transit or Amtrak to Newark Liberty Airport Station

New York Airport Service Express Bus to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. Connect to Olympia Airport Express at 120 East 41st Street for EWR.
New York Airport Service Express Bus: (718) 875-8200
Olympia: (212) 964-6233 or (908) 354-3330
New York Airport Service Express Bus: $13
Olympia: $11
AirTrain: 6 AM to 11 PM - Every 4-8 minutes; 11 PM to 6 AM - Every 12 minutes
New York Airport Service Express Bus: 6:05 AM to 12:00 Midnight
45 - 65 minutes

Olympia: 5:00 AM to 11 PM
45 - 60 minutes

New York Airport Service Express Bus to Port Authority Bus Terminal (Airport Bus Center) 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Connect to Olympia Airport Express for EWR.
New York Airport Service Express Bus: (718) 875-8200
Olympia: (212) 964-6233 or (908) 354-3330
New York Airport Service Express Bus: $13
Olympia: $11 New York Airport Service Express Bus: 6:05 AM to 12 Midnight
45 - 65 minutes

Olympia: 24 hours
30 - 45 minutes

Taxi (Metered)
Go to Uniformed Taxi Dispatcher
$74-$78 + tolls + $15 surcharge On demand
75 - 90 minutes
Private Limousine/Van Service
Go to Ground Transportation Information Counter in Airport Baggage Claim Area
Prices vary On demand
75 - 90 minutes"

If you are traveling on a weekday, rail transportation is probably the most likely mode to get you to EWR on time, but it involves several transfers. I would take JFK AirTrain to Jamaica Station ($5.00/person); then a Long Island Railroad train to Manhattan Penn Station ($7.00/person if you purchase your ticket before boarding); then NJ Transit from Manhattan Penn Station to EWR Airport Rail Station ($14.00/person if you purchase your ticket before boarding, or $10.50/person if you buy a ticket from Newark Penn Station to EWR Airport Rail Station and pay a $3.00 "change in terminal" fee on board the train for starting your trip from Manhattan Penn Station rather than Newark Penn Station). If you substitute the "E" subway train for the Long Island Railroad from Jamaica to Penn Station, you will save $5.00/person, but add about 20-25 minutes to your travel time.

The "Princeton Airporter" shuttle bus from JFK to EWR will not work for you, as the first daily departure from JFK is at 9:00 AM, not 8:00 AM as indicated on the Port Authority website.

If you are traveling on a weekend, a taxi or rental car will likely get you from JFK to EWR on time, but those modes of travel may be cost effective only if there are a few of you traveling together. You can probably also make the connection safely on the weekend if you take the two airport buses (one from JFK to Manhattan), and one from Manhattan to EWR). The advantage of taking the two airport buses over the rail route is that the buses pick up and drop off at each terminal, and there is less lugging of luggage by you.

It is possible to get from JFK to EWR for as little as $4.75/person, but you would have to take two local buses, a subway, and the PATH train (connecting Manhattan with Newark), and it would probably take you about 3 hours.

Cheapest (under $6 total)

• Q10 bus to Lefferts Blvd & Liberty Ave for the A train ($2)
• A train to Chambers St in Manhattan (free transfer with Metrocard)
• At Chambers St station, follow signs to PATH train
• PATH train to Newark Penn Station ($1.50)
• NJTransit #62 bus to Newark Airport ($1.25 or $1.95?)

Safest = matter of opinion

Fastest

• If at a time when traffic is likely to be light, cab or car service ($expensive)
• If at a time when traffic is likely to be heavy, train: (under $25 total)
  • AirTrain to Jamaica ($5--pay when you get off)
  • LIRR to NY Penn Station ($3-7 depending on time and day of week)
  • NJTransit train to EWR
    • At NY Penn Station, buy a ticket to Elizabeth, NJ ($5). Elizabeth is the station after EWR, so the conductors should have no problem with you getting off early at EWR. You'll then buy a separate $5 ticket at the turnstiles to get to the monorail, which saves you $4 over the $14 combined train/turnstile NYPenn-EWR ticket.
  • Monorail from train station to terminal (paid at turnstiles)

I agree with guv1976 that either rail or the airport bus solution makes the most sense for you, unless you're traveling on a weekend with a number of folks, in which case a cab or car service may actually be the best option. It also all depends on how transit savvy you are and how capable you are of carrying your luggage. Finally, you should probably slap around your travel agent (or whoever booked the JFK/EWR connection) a bit. Unless you saved hundreds of dollars by doing it that way, it probably wasn't worth it. Not that I'm opinionated or anything...

While this strategy will work, it requires the traveler to stand in line for tickets twice: once at New York Penn Station, and once at the EWR Airport Rail Station. You can avoid this problem by purchasing, at New York Penn Station, an NJ Transit ticket from Newark Penn Station to EWR Airport Rail Station for $7.50, and then paying the train conductor NJ Transit's standard "change-in-terminal" fee of $3.00, for a total charge of $10.50. (Note: the Newark AirTrain airport access fee has gone up from $5.00 to $5.50, so one would pay $10.50 your way or my way.)

The cab is the fastest way to go.. but, naturally, the most expensive. Without traffic, it will be a 45 minute trip from JFK to EWR (via Staten Island). Note: you will be charged bridge tolls in addition to your fare.

The shuttles involve a transfer in Manhattan, either at Grand Central or Port Authority.

The train option can be hectic, especially if you are traveling on a weekday.. plenty of commuters on the LIRR and NJT as well as peak-fares. Subway-to-shuttle/NJT is doable but it's a lot of work if you have heavy bags.

The option involves the Q10 is not going to work. Don't even bother with public transit buses.

I didn't know about the turnstile fare increase. Thanks for the info.

One counterpoint: there are still a couple reasons to consider the NYP-Elizabeth + turnstile-ticket option instead of the NWK-EWR + change-in-terminal option, paritcularly for frequent users of the EWR AirTrain:

1. You can buy round-trip off-peak tickets to Elizabeth, but not to EWR, which allows you to save more if you're traveling round-trip at off-peak times. (not applicable to the OP)
2. Sometimes on crowded trains they don't get a chance to take your ticket on the NJTransit train. When this happens and you're holding an Elizabeth ticket, you can keep it and use it next time you are going to EWR. But if you're holding an EWR ticket, you'll still have to surrender it at the turnstiles. (note, however, that with the NWK-EWR+change-in-terminal method, if they don't come around to collect tickets, you'll still save the $3 change-in-terminal fee)

Excellent info.

Imagine a New Yorker not opinionated. You're not alone; I share the same opinon. lucky9876coins, what is behind this arduous itinerary? :confused:

Pardon me for reviving this thread, but I'm looking at a trip that possibly may involve a transfer from EWR to JFK on Sun. Jul 2nd and JFK to EWR on Tues Jul 4th. What is the best possible way to do this transfer using public transit? I understand since I'm using public transit I shouldn't expect it to be fast which is fine, I will likely have almost the entire day on Sunday to do this transfer since I'm flying in in the morning on a red-eye & flying out of JFK in the evening. I'm under a little bit more time pressure on Independence Day but will probably have about 5 hrs, some of which will be taken up by getting through customs at JFK. I researched it a bit and it seems I can do this on the airtrains and RR by connecting at Penn Station. How long would this take and is this a good low-cost option? I will have almost no luggage (just one duffle bag) if that makes a difference. I don't want to do cabs since I'll be traveling by myself and I'm sure the cost is sky-high. I would also like to avoid traveling on buses and doing alot of transfers. Less complicated the better. Thank you.

Edit: Think I will just take the Airporter Shuttle unless the RR option is faster and cheaper.

The easiest public transit methods between EWR and JFK are either:

1) Train (EWR AirTrain to NJTransit to Penn Station to LIRR to Jamaica to JFK AirTrain and vice versa)

or

2) Bus (EWR CoachUSA bus to Port Authority to JFK NYAirport bus)

Train is generally more reliable, simply because you don't have traffic as a variable. But the bus requires fewer transfers and may be slightly cheaper.

If the Airporter works for you schedule-wise, then that's probably the easiest option, however. I don't think it's any more expensive than either of the above options, and it doesn't require you to transit Manhattan.

When usng the (Princeton) Airporter, be sure to make an advance reservation. It guarantees you a seat during the busy summer season (not to mention the extended holiday weekend during which your trip is taking place). Without a reservation, seating is frst-come, first-served.

21 bucks and a couple of trains
 

Cheapest
EWR to JFK

*walk from airline terminal to EWR Air Train, purchasing ticket at the machine. Ticket to NY Penn Station is $14 (including Air Train) on NJ Transit. Air Train in EWR airport to EWR rail station may envolve one or even a few train transfers. Most likely changing trains at P4. The shortest time from buying a ticket to Arriving at the EWR NJ Transit train platform was 30 minutes... the longest was 50+ minutes. Mind you I arrive appx midnight each time.

*included in the $14 above, platform A, NJ Transit train to NY Penn Station about 30 minutes. 3 stops and you're there. (Last train out at 1:55am, 1st train back in from NYPenn at 4:20, 5am ish on the weekend.)

*$2 MTA New York Subway E train to Jamaica. Get off at Sutphin Blvd Archer Ave JFK Airport. Express train takes about 1 hour... maybe a little less. (LIRR has a faster train from NY Penn station to JFK Air Train, but the cost is a bit higher. I've never taken it, but I think it's about a 30 minute trip.) http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/index.html

*$5 JFK Air Train is up stairs/elevator and the other side of the train platforms/tracks. Train come frequently and are quoted as 18 minute loops.

REVERSE DIRECTION ~ exactly the opposite itinerary

Total price USD$ 21.00
time spent under 3 hours to 4 hours depending on connections and allowing for walking between conections.

jfk - ewr Jul 4th???
 

I would re think this one... Could take forever on the fourth. depending on the time, anything past 10 am i wouldnt consider.

On July 4th, you will want to rely on the rails. Take the Airtrain to Jamaica. Hop on the LIRR train to Penn Station. Don't take the subway---it's much slower. At Penn Station, take a NJ Transit train to EWR airport. Both the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey coastline trains stop at the EWR station so that means 2-3 trains per hour.

Here is the holiday schedule for all trains departing Penn Station and going to EWR. http://www.njtransit.com/sf_tr_sched...=3%2F29%2F2006

Given the huge traffic on the Independence Day holiday, this will be the better route. Avoid the roads.