Metro

Commuters beat PATH to Apple

The PATH train is starting to look like the jampacked Lexington Avenue subway.

Despite a recent fare increase, PATH ridership is set to reach record levels this year.

The New Jersey-to-Manhattan line already has a 4 percent increase in trips for the first six months of 2012, the Port Authority said yesterday.

PATH trips from January through June hit 39 million, up from 37.6 million for the same period last year, officials said.

Many riders said they’ve noticed more people on board.

“People are standing butt to butt!” said Saundra Toby-Heath, 59, from Newark.

“Every day I pray that the door opens right in front of me so I can run in and get a seat. Every train is packed.”

The ridership increases come after the PA hiked fares to $2 last fall, a 25-cent increase.