EWR764

The absolute worst, slowest, most unreliable people-mover in operation at any airport in the world will be shut down from May 1 through July 15, just in time for the early summer rush. (yes, I am aware of the IAH basement train, but who rides that, anyway? It's faster to just walk). Apparently serious corrosion issues have been identified on the system which has been in sporadic operation since 1996 or so. Major disruptions and irregular service patterns are common during overnight hours, rain, snow, cold weather, hot weather or wind, and the system is prone to frequent breakdowns. Now, it just won't operate.

The EWR station on the Northeast Corridor will also be closed during this period, with trains bypassing the station. Shuttle bus service will be available from Newark Penn like the old days (and current #62 bus, which is cheaper and sometimes faster than the NJT/AirTrain combo, especially to Terminal A). I can't wait to be riding in a packed bus full of travelers and luggage as we crawl down Broad Street on a hot July day! Shuttle buses from the ground level of each terminal to the other terminals, rental car facilities and parking lots will also be available.

Be guided accordingly...

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/2520017...pended-75-days

mgcsinc

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha what an unbelievable mess the airport is right now.

I have a trip to ZFV for a wedding over July 4 weekend. I wonder how this will work, since the originating stop for the train segment won't exist at the time. If UA wants to handle it in a nice way (though bad for all the ZFV-droppers), they should offer alternative routings to PHL.

akhan7

Any thoughts on how long transit time would take from Newark Penn to EWR? Let's hope the frequency of the shuttle is there.

bmwe92fan

This is not going to go well.... Chris Christie involved?

Bulldog83

Won't hurt to ask, but I imagine you'd just have to take the bus to Newark-Penn (although that might require a longer connection time than is currently legal).

EWR764

Anywhere from 15-45 minutes to Terminal C, depending on time of day and traffic. Morning and afternoon rush hours will be very slow, even with favorable traffic light patterns.

Only if he had anything to do with the award of the contract to Bombardier in the early 90s for such a grossly inferior, custom monorail system that was outmoded and obsolete in every way the moment it entered operation...

mgcsinc

The problem is not the connection time, it's the schlepping. The whole point of the codeshare arrangement is to make things relatively seamless. I think I probably will try.

Pedro Gonzales

I have to agree that the AirTrain has sucked big time over the last 6 months or so. It's caused me to miss 1 flight and plead my way to the front of the Pre-Check line in order to make my flight on at least 3 occasions. I've avoided driving to the airport through it all, but I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet now, since I don't want to add a shuttle bus trip to my already long ground itinerary (2 trains & 2 subways). On the other hand, parking charges will rise as more people start to drive in.

Hopefully, reliability will improve after they get the train back in service.

discoverCSG

Well, now, all is not lost.

With the closure of one runway this summer and the high probability of a late inbound aircraft, it's not likely your flight is going to leave on time, anyway.

And while limes have been eliminated, you might still be able to make lemonade of the situation.

JAaronT

Why on earth would they force people to downtown Newark rather than just run a shuttle from the EWR train station?

EWR764

Fortunately the runway closure only affects travel through Memorial Day weekend, with two weeks of reduced operations to follow. The peak summer season will have 4L/22R at full capacity.

The benefit then, as I see it, is better battlefield upgrade odds (or an open middle seat next to you) as unsuspecting travelers get caught on the slow bus from Newark Penn to the airport!

mgcsinc

It is kinda remarkable, isn't it? Maybe they're gonna fuss with the station, too?

dinoscool3

The train station, other than emergency exits, has no entrances to the outside world. Only Amtrak/NJ Transit and the Air Train.

transportprof

I've been stranded aboard the EWR Airtrain in 70 degree and sunny weather.

I had a transportation professor who taught that 'Monorails are the transportation mode of the future, and they always will be" around the time that the Newark Airtrain was being planned.

My understanding is that the architecture of EWR's current terminals was designed so that only a monorail could serve the buildings. The idea was to prevent PATH from easily serving the airport, which the Port Authority was determined to avoid in the 1980s. Times have changed and it's going to cost a lot to undo past idiocy.

fjfv19

Experiences on the Air Train for me include:
1) Getting stuck between P4 and Terminal C for 30 minutes with no air conditioning in the middle of July.
2) The Air Train simply not functioning, and having to take a bus from EWR NJTransit Stop to the airport. The bus, incomprehensibly, was stuck behind a locked gate off the highway for 20-30 minutes, before someone kindly opened the gate which impeded access to the main bus service road from the station to the airport. Probably want that open with the buses running, eh?

The Air Train has recently been running excessively slowly (guess I know why now). Sometimes, it doesn't run at all. The Air Train service is a complete joke and given NJ politics, I have no doubt that the execution of alternative transportation to the airport will be a consummate disaster show.

Enjoy EWR!