teterboro airport --> New Jersey Transit train into NYC?

[Dave]

has anyone used the Teterboro New Jersey Transit train station after
landing at TEB airport? If you go to any of the FBOs along the West
side of runway 1-19, the train station is just a mile or so further to
the West along Rt. 17 and Williams Ave. The trip time is approx. 30
minutes into the city (NJT Pas. line).

There's also a bus stop just up the road from the FBOs on that stretch
that takes about the same amount of time, traffic permittting.

So, given the choice, I'd rather do the train. Any experiences?

[Peter R.]

Dave ) wrote:

> has anyone used the Teterboro New Jersey Transit train station after
> landing at TEB airport? If you go to any of the FBOs along the West
> side of runway 1-19, the train station is just a mile or so further to
> the West along Rt. 17 and Williams Ave. The trip time is approx. 30
> minutes into the city (NJT Pas. line).
>
> There's also a bus stop just up the road from the FBOs on that stretch
> that takes about the same amount of time, traffic permittting.
>
> So, given the choice, I'd rather do the train. Any experiences?

Yes, I commuted to TEB almost every week for a two months over this past
summer. I have used all of the transportation options except for a
rental car.

Car service is the most convenient, as you can call the FBO and have it
waiting for you when you get there, but it is the most expensive option
(from US $75 to $100 for a ride into Manhattan) and is subject to the
traffic going through the Lincoln Tunnel. One or two times I did this
when I absolutely did not feel like facing the hassles of the train or
bus (late Sunday nights).

IMO, the bus and train are about equal in terms of convenience. The FBO
will drive you to the station or bus stop and then it is a matter of
waiting for the train or bus to show up. The bus is direct to Port
Authority (with several local stops along the route), whereas you need
to connect to a Manhattan-bound train in Secaucus for the trip into Penn
Station.

You can get either schedule on-line, then print it off and have it with
you when you arrive so that you can coordinate with the FBO when you
need to be dropped off. I recommend this.

The bus schedule is here:

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0161.pdf

and the train schedule is here (build your own schedule based on the day
of week travel by clicking on the map):

http://www.njtransit.com/sf_tr_schedules.shtml#


The evening NJ Transit buses into Manhattan were almost always 10 to 30
minutes late picking up at the bus stop. The outbound bus was always on
time when I left, usually around 2:30pm or so on Thursdays.

The bus tended to be quicker at about 30 minutes TEB bus stop-to-Port
Authority, unless the tunnel traffic was really heavy. The train
typically took around 50 minutes (considering the connection time). If
you expect to arrive at TEB during NYC's rush hour, I would recommend
the train. If you arrive off hours, take the bus, if you want to shave
off some commuting minutes.

The closes train station was uncomfortably quiet at night, as it is on a
side street, so I wouldn't recommend waiting there after dark. There
are actually two bus stops at the north end of TEB and both are serviced
by the same NJ bus (#161). If you arrive after dark, have the FBO drop
you off at the stop on the corner by the Burger King, since it is a
well-lit stop at a busy intersection. The closer bus stop seemed to be
less safe to me at night. In any case, flip the FBO driver a few bucks
tip.

If you just miss the bus (they run about every 1/2 hour to 40 minutes
off hours, more so during the day), see if the FBO will drive you to the
last stop before the tunnel. I just missed the bus one time and faced a
45 minute wait for the next one. The FBO driver in ten minutes was able
to take me (via a back way) to the last stop before the Lincoln Tunnel
where I caught an inbound bus within minutes.

I used Millionare FBO, as they had tie-downs for my aircraft.
Unfortunately, my aircraft would get really dirty by the time I picked
it up, as the tie downs are near TEB's busiest runway. Apparently
Millionare's nightly parking fee is discretionary (now $45 per night,
waived the first night if you buy fuel), so smooth talk the counter
personal to see if they "forget" to charge you.

The owner of the aircraft will get a bill in the mail from Port
Authority of NY/NJ at the end of the month for a landing fee of $15 per
landing at TEB. They only accept checks mailed back to them, no credit
cards over the phone. :(



--
Peter

[Peter R.]

Dave ) wrote:

>
> So, given the choice, I'd rather do the train. Any experiences?

Oh, I forgot: Both the train and bus will take cash on the inbound
routes. Outbound, you need to buy a ticket for the train in Penn
Station. The bus driver will reluctantly take cash outbound but prefers
you use the ticket machines in the Port Authority. If I were running
late, too bad driver, here's the $3.00. Keep the change if it is too
difficult to make it, I don't care. :)

The bus was the cheapest at $2.80 one way, whereas the train was 6 or 7
dollars one way (both trains).

--
Peter

[G.R. Patterson III]

"Peter R." wrote:
>
> Oh, I forgot: Both the train and bus will take cash on the inbound
> routes.

The NJT coast line charges a premium if you buy tickets on the train. Is this not the
case for the line Teterboro is on?

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

[Peter R.]

G.R. Patterson III ) wrote:

>
> "Peter R." wrote:
> >
> > Oh, I forgot: Both the train and bus will take cash on the inbound
> > routes.
>
> The NJT coast line charges a premium if you buy tickets on the train. Is this not the
> case for the line Teterboro is on?

I only took the train inbound once so I don't recall the premium. I
took it outbound more, but I rode the bus the most times, due to the
fact that I always arrived at TEB late Sunday night and that the Port
Authority bus terminal in Manhattan was within walking distance from my
hotel and my client's office (49th and 6th).

--
Peter