As a high-speed mass transit system, PATH is inherently environmentally beneficial. The 250,000 commuters who use it each day require a fraction of the energy they would use if they drove instead. We continue to encourage more and more commuters to use this environmentally friendly alternative to driving.
Ridership has been growing on PATH over the last decade, and is projected to do so as the region's population grows by millions over the next twenty years. To ensure that PATH is an easy, convenient, appealing alternative to commuting by car, the Port Authority is planning investments to modernize the system with everything from new cars to lengthening station platforms to accommodate longer trains.
The four diesel-powered trains that the Port Authority uses to service PATH now include anti-idling devices that cut down on fuel use, air pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions. This retrofit project, completed in 2008, was partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.