Going to NYC on the Train? We Know a Cheaper Way

When you go to New York or Princeton, are you tired of taking the R7 to Trenton? Do you find the schedule isn’t always convenient or the train gets so delayed you miss the New Jersey Transit train? If you don’t want to risk life and limb on a Chinatown bus, there is another option that is much cheaper and runs more frequently, but the downside is that you have to go to Camden.

Take PATCO to Broadway in Camden, for just $1.15, then transfer to the New Jersey Transit River Line light rail train to get to Trenton (where you can catch the NJ Transit train to NYC) for an amazingly low $1.35, or you can take a New Jersey Transit bus from Philadelphia to the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden for a combination bus and light rail fare of $2.25. The savings compared to taking SEPTA to Trenton basically neutralize the New Jersey Transit fare increase that started at the beginning of the month. One added bonus is that the River Line has much better scenery than the R7. The downside, other than going to Camden, is that the River Line leaves you across the street from the Trenton train station, which is currently going through a renovation that makes access a little bit harder.

You can also save some time and a bit of money if you get off the New Jersey Transit train in Newark and take the PATH train into New York for $1.50, if you are going to Brooklyn or anywhere south of 14th Street in Manhattan. For lower Manhattan and more southern points in Brooklyn, take the train to the World Trade Center, where there are several nearby NYC Subway lines. If you want to go to Greenwich Village or Williamsburg, transfer across the platform at Journal Square for the 33rd Street train to 14th Street and 6th Avenue, where you can transfer to the L train to Williamsburg.

Now don’t forget, when taking the New Jersey Transit train, your best bet is the off-peak round trip ticket, which is always cheaper than the cost of two one-ways and can always be “stepped up” on peak trains for a nominal fee.

Photograph of the inside of a New Jersey Transit Train by Triborough on Flickr