Taking The Train To Newark From New York. Worth It?
Intro
Let's begin the great African adventure, then, shall we? The first look into the Africa leg would see me taking the train from New York to Newark Airport. Oridniaitly, I would just take a taxi, but as I had some time to kill, I wanted to see how much time it would take to get there via train.
For reference, I started around Midtown East.
The first order of business: an Ess-a-bagel:
The Subway
Most New Yorkers probably have to find a way to get to Penn Station to catch the NJ transit over to Newark. Like me, this would require you to either take a taxi (which is expensive in New York) or take the subway over to Penn Station (which only costs 2.75$).
Thankfully, the subway is quite efficient, and within 20 minutes, I made it to the Penn Station stop. Okay, so far, so good, and I had only spent about 2.75$.
NJ Transit To Newark
The hurdle would be finding the track to head to Newark. After arriving at the subway stop (I keep thinking of the word tube lol), I had to head over to the separate entrance for Newark trains.
Trains run pretty frequently between the two stations (the maximum you will wait during the day is 45 mins), and it turned out I only had to wait about 20 minutes.
Eventually, I found the train located on track 2 and made my way onboard. The journey to Newark station is only about 25 minutes, so within no time, I made it to Newark station.
At this point, it had been about an hour and 20 minutes of my time...
The Airtrain To The Terminals
The last stop on this journey to Newark would be the air train. Luckily, included in the NJ transit ticket price is the AirTrain, which otherwise costs 8.25$. It's a very short walk, and air trains run frequently between Newark Station and the terminals.
What a gorgeous day in New York/New Jersey!
The Airtrain was packed, but I managed to squeeze my way on for the 10-minute ride over to Terminal C.
The AirTrain first stops at Terminal A, then Terminal B, and Terminal C. 10 minutes after departing Newark station, we pull into Terminal C. From there, it's about another 5-minute walk to the check-in desks...
So, Is It Worth It?
Obviously, this opinion is highly subjective, depending on how much money you feel like spending and where you are located in New York. If I could walk to Penn Station from where I was staying, I might be more inclined to take the air train in the future. However, door to door, it took me about 1 hour and 40 minutes...
With that being said, here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
Cheaper than a taxi or Blade
During rush hour, it can be quicker than a taxi if you time it right
Cons:
Generally, it takes a lot longer than a taxi or Blade
Lots of transiting from different modes of transport
It can be a bit of a pain with lots of luggage
Once again, this is entirely subjective. A taxi runs about 80$ from midtown over to Newark, including tolls, and this entire journey on the train costs me a little less than 20$. With a family of 4 traveling, I would recommend taking a taxi in this situation. Alternatively, if you are in a time crunch with no spending limit, check out Blade!
Final Thoughts
While I did enjoy taking the train out to Newark from the city, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I would recommend paying the premium for a taxi. It's quite relaxing being on a train, but I am not sure if all the transiting is worth it, especially if you have a lot of luggage.
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