NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The outer, alumninum-like shell of the new PATH trains are sparkling, the blue seats are clean and riders can easily read the digital display on the side to which train just pulled in.
'They will have the latest air-conditioning, the latest lighting technology to keep them comfortable. They'll have three doors on each side, some of the oldest PATH cars they're replacing only have two,' said PA Executive Director Anthony Shorris.
The new cars will also feature video monitors showing news, weather and sports updates.
'The better we make the PATH experience, the more people will use it. And the more people use it, the less they will drive,' said Shorris.
Fifteen cars per month will be rolled out, beginning this fall, replacing old trains as new ones go into service.
According to the Port Authority, the new PATH cars are part of the Port Authority's planned $3.3 billion, 10-year investment to overhaul the PATH system and increase capapcity by 25 percent.
Other components of the $3.3 billion dollar capital improvement plan include:
nearly $390 million to replace PATH’s antiquated signal system, a critical component in increasing capacity by reducing the wait time between trains;
$659 million to upgrade and modernize all 13 PATH stations, including the installation of 10-car platforms at the Harrison and Grove Street stations that will allow 10-car trains to operate on the congested Newark-to-World Trade Center line. Currently, seven-car trains run on the Newark-to-World Trade Center line; and
$549 million to maintain and upgrade existing PATH infrastructure in a state of good repair.