The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will hold a routine emergency response exercise at the PATH Harrison station on Saturday, October 25, from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. During this time, passengers and the public may see simulated smoke and an increased presence of emergency vehicles in the area.
The exercise is designed to test PATH’s emergency plan for mutual aid response. It will bring together PATH personnel, the Port Authority Police Department, civilian staff, and various federal, state, and local partners to train jointly and confirm their emergency procedures. According to the agency, these types of on-site training sessions are scheduled regularly throughout the year at its facilities.
The timing of this exercise coincides with a planned service outage at Harrison station due to ongoing track reconstruction between Harrison and Journal Square (JSQ) stations. From 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 24 until 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there will be no train service in either direction between Harrison and JSQ.
To assist riders during this period, free wheelchair-accessible shuttle buses will operate between Harrison and JSQ as well as between Newark-Penn Station and JSQ. The shuttle buses are scheduled every 7 to 12 minutes except from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., when they will run every 15 to 20 minutes. Shuttle bus stops will be clearly marked with signage at affected stations. Port Authority customer service agents and police officers will be present to help riders.
“Saturday’s exercise will focus on PATH’s emergency plan for mutual aid response, enabling PATH personnel and local emergency response organizations to train together and validate response procedures,” according to the Port Authority press release.
The agency notes that these exercises are part of ongoing efforts to maintain preparedness among staff and partner agencies.
