The Port Authority yesterday announced it is considering extending the PATH train to Newark Airport — the first step in long-awaited plans to ease the ride between the airport and lower Manhattan.
The preliminary plan calls for extending the World Trade Center-Newark line from its terminus at Newark Penn Station to the existing Northeast Corridor Rail Link Station, which is currently served by NJ Transit and Amtrak.
From there, fliers can take the Newark AirTrain.
The agency’s board yesterday approved plans to formally begin studying the extension.
“Taking a hard look at extending the PATH line in a fiscally responsible manner makes sense,” said Executive Director Pat Foye.
Potential benefits to the region include more than $600 million in design and construction activity, in addition to adding permanent jobs when complete.
Some 15 percent of Newark Liberty Airport customers come from Manhattan, with another 9 percent of fliers coming from other parts of the city and state.
The board also approved plans for a $32 million animal-handling facility at Kennedy Airport that would include a veterinary, a kennel and quarantine services.
The privately run facility would be the largest in the country.