Date: October 30, 2003 Press Release Number: 140-2003

On November 23, Governors Pataki and McGreevey will honor this historic occasion by riding into the station on the same PATH train that was the last to carry people to safety from the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11.

Governor Pataki said, "The restoration of World Trade Center PATH service ahead of schedule is a testament to the determination, hard work and heroism of the people of New York City, New York State and the entire region. I am proud and humbled to be able to return to this station on the last PATH train from September 11, 2001. This symbolizes the successful evacuation of more than 25,000 people from the World Trade Center complex on September 11, and honors the heroism of the hundreds of police, firefighters, rescue workers and civilians who sacrificed their lives on that terrible morning so that others could live." Governor McGreevey said, "When the history of Lower Manhattan is written, November 23, 2003, will be remembered as one of the most significant days in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. Thanks to tremendous effort on the part of so many, we’ve reached this historic milestone in the rebuilding of our region and our future."

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, "When the temporary World Trade Center PATH Station opens on November 23, it will become the first public space to open within the World Trade Center site. For the first time since the horrible and heroic events of September 11, 2001, the general public will be able to walk into the site. As a result, the opening of this station carries great significance for the people of this region that extends far beyond its benefits as a transportation center." Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano said, "In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, we have had to fight to retain each job and work even harder to attract new jobs. The restoration of PATH service to Lower Manhattan is another tool that we can use in this fight for the ongoing economic recovery of the nation’s third-largest business district."

Port Authority Executive Director Joseph J. Seymour said, "The construction of the temporary PATH Station is an important first step in the creation of a world-class World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which will include a permanent PATH Terminal and pedestrian connections providing seamless links to ferries along the Hudson River and subway service across Lower Manhattan. History has shown that world-class transportation infrastructure is necessary for a community to have a healthy blend of residential, retail, commercial and cultural offerings. That is why the Port Authority has hired the Downtown Design Partnership, in association with world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, to design a transportation hub that will serve the region and inspire the world."

The proposed $2 billion permanent World Trade Center Transportation Hub is scheduled to begin serving passengers in 2006. It is expected to include underground pedestrian connections to New York City subway stations on the 1/9, N/R and E lines, as well as connections to the 2, 3, 4, 5, J, M, Z, A and C lines at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposed Fulton Street Transit Center. The Downtown Design Partnership’s preliminary engineering – including Mr. Calatrava’s preliminary drawings for the transportation hub – is scheduled to be submitted to the Port Authority in the spring of 2004.

The Port Authority has invested $323 million to build the temporary World Trade Center PATH station. The temporary station, built to restore the PATH connection to Lower Manhattan as quickly as possible, will provide a basic level of passenger service. The temporary station will comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. It will not include many of the customer amenities that existed in the World Trade Center PATH station prior to September 11, 2001, such as heating and air conditioning. Those customer amenities will be restored in the permanent World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

The Port Authority will provide a heightened level of security at the temporary station. The temporary station also will comply with life-safety provisions established by the National Fire Protection Association, which is the standard for transit facilities across the nation.

The Port Authority has invested an additional $106 million to restore the PATH tunnels below the Hudson River. The tunnels’ interiors were stripped to remove and replace all equipment that was damaged by flooding on September 11, 2001, including track, electrical wiring and signals. Another $137 million has been invested to restore and enhance the Exchange Place Station in Jersey City, which was damaged by flooding on September 11, 2001. Work included replacing track, electrical equipment and related components. The Port Authority restored PATH service at Exchange Place on June 29, 2003. The PATH restoration is being funded by Federal Emergency Management Agency money, Port Authority funds and insurance proceeds.

On a typical workday, 280 PATH trains will travel into the temporary World Trade Center PATH Station. Before September 11, 2001, the PATH rapid-transit system of 13 stations carried approximately 260,000 daily passengers between New York and New Jersey. Today, PATH carries approximately 160,000 daily passengers. This reduction can be attributed in large part to the loss of the World Trade Center and Exchange Place stations. Prior to September 11, 2001, approximately 67,000 daily passengers boarded PATH at the World Trade Center.

The Port Authority began service on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system, more commonly known as PATH, in 1962 after taking over the system from the bankrupt Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. The system was originally built in 1908, and the tunnels linking New York and New Jersey were the first passenger rail connections between the two states.