Today in history: Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now PATH) opens to the public.
To celebrate the PATH subway's hundredth anniversary, passengers will enjoy free rides today from 6 AM to 11 PM. On 26 February 1908, the first trains started running between Hoboken and 19th Street in Manhattan. A year later, a second tube was opened to serve downtown Manhattan. Today, over 227,000 passengers rely on the PATH to commute. The Port Authority is currently rebuilding the PATH terminus in lower Manhattan that was destroyed by the September 11th attacks. The new $2 billion terminal will be built by the renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (other notable works are: Olympic Stadium in Athens and Bilbao Airport). His design was inspired by "the image of a child, hands outstretched, setting a bird free." The terminal will open in 2009. New trains are also expected for PATH starting 2008 and the last new train will arrive in 2011.
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Photo by Flickr user David Pfeffer.Used under the Creative Commons License.
