Take the train from Philly, it is easy. EWR is right off the highway, you don't have to go through newark city at all. I lived in NJ for a decade and parked in LTP and flew out of EWR a few times per year, the shuttle ride is long, but it is fine. I find EWR way more manageable than JFK or LaGuardia.

Omg OP I’m embarrassed for you

Don’t listen to any of this crap. We took Amtrak up a few weeks ago. Left Union a station at 330p for a 945p flight to Paris. Arrived at the EWR train station around 630p, walked about three minutes to the AirTrain Station, all indoors, used our Amtrak tickets to access to AirTrain, had to wait about three minutes for the next train, and got off at Terminal C about six minutes later. Walked right through TSA Precheck with no issues.

All told, from getting off of the Amtrak Train, all three way through TSA security, took fifteen minutes at the most.

Couldn’t be easier.

Anonymous wrote:

But the monorail that takes you from the terminals to the Amtrak station is a victim of bad maintenance and is a total mess. I don’t think it’s even safe. The tracks are screechy, the car stops at random and the sound system comes on at random without providing clear messages. If you’re at USDOT, please fund it. But don’t ride it if you have an alternative.

They are building a replacement system

https://www.portauthoritybuilds.com/redevelopment/us/en/ewr/projects/AirTrain.html

This is good. Just a few years ago, the monorail system was lovely. I would have laughed at a post like mine describing it as awful. But I was on it about six weeks ago, and it was truly awful.

Walking between Terminal B and Terminal C is easy, but the new Terminal A is pretty far from the other terminals. I haven’t tried walking from the terminals to the Amtrak station, but, from the monorail, it looked far and maze-like. I could picture walking half a mile and coming up against a fence that you can’t get through or around.

There’s a bus that goes around the airport, and the ride is interesting, but using the bus to get from the terminals to the Amtrak station is confusing. I think I went around the whole airport twice before I figured out which stop was the Amtrak station stop.

If you commute from Washington to Newark every week and have money, figuring out how to take the Amtrak train makes sense.

If you’re going there once a year or less, at least take a cab or Uber to Newark Penn Station, and then get on an NJT train to Penn Station or a PATH train to the World Trade Center.

If you’re broke and adventurous: Go outside the terminal to the bus waiting area. Take NJT bus 62 (a regular local bus) to Newark Penn Station, then take an NJT or PATH train into Manhattan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not drive. I would take Amtrak, but allow extra time for both train delays and to get from the EWR Airport Train Station to one’s terminal.

I think the best strategy for non-poor people is to ride the train to the Newark train station, then take a cab to the airport.

The trains are fine.

Newark Penn Station is a bit shabby but fine.

The Newark airport is great.

The train from the airport is confusing, though, and the monorail system that connects the airport’s train station to the airport is a mess. The tracks are bad, the sound systems in the monorail cars are broken, and the escalators in the monorail stations are messed up.

I’d much rather spend a little extra on a cab than deal with the monorail mess.

The Amtrak literally has a stop at EWR you don't need a cab!

But the monorail that takes you from the terminals to the Amtrak station is a victim of bad maintenance and is a total mess. I don’t think it’s even safe. The tracks are screechy, the car stops at random and the sound system comes on at random without providing clear messages. If you’re at USDOT, please fund it. But don’t ride it if you have an alternative.

They are building a replacement system

https://www.portauthoritybuilds.com/redevelopment/us/en/ewr/projects/AirTrain.html

Anonymous wrote:
I have also transited through Newark multiple times. It’s old and not very nice options at the airport, but again not unsafe.

I’m the person saying the monorail system is a wreck.

I haven’t flown out of terminal B in a long time, but C is modern and has good restaurants with some character.

Terminal A is brand new. One company runs all of the restaurants, but the restaurants are OK.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not drive. I would take Amtrak, but allow extra time for both train delays and to get from the EWR Airport Train Station to one’s terminal.

I think the best strategy for non-poor people is to ride the train to the Newark train station, then take a cab to the airport.

The trains are fine.

Newark Penn Station is a bit shabby but fine.

The Newark airport is great.

The train from the airport is confusing, though, and the monorail system that connects the airport’s train station to the airport is a mess. The tracks are bad, the sound systems in the monorail cars are broken, and the escalators in the monorail stations are messed up.

I’d much rather spend a little extra on a cab than deal with the monorail mess.

The Amtrak literally has a stop at EWR you don't need a cab!

But the monorail that takes you from the terminals to the Amtrak station is a victim of bad maintenance and is a total mess. I don’t think it’s even safe. The tracks are screechy, the car stops at random and the sound system comes on at random without providing clear messages. If you’re at USDOT, please fund it. But don’t ride it if you have an alternative.

We did this once many years ago. Drove from DC to save money on a flight to Italy. We were hungry and so for lunch found a diner nearby that was listed on yelp. So good we stopped on way back! It was urban and a bit gritty but we did not feel unsafe.

I have also transited through Newark multiple times. It’s old and not very nice options at the airport, but again not unsafe.

Last year on our way to Asia, we flew up day before. Took uber to nearby airport hotel to drop bags, and then took NJ transit to Manhattan for the day. Again, gritty but not unsafe.

I will admit that I was never alone though. Either with group of girlfriends, my dh, or my teen sons.

Omg this post made me lol.

What is it 1978? Jfc

I cannot believe this is even a real thread. DCUM never ceases to amaze me. I'm sure you're afraid of your own shadow, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not drive. I would take Amtrak, but allow extra time for both train delays and to get from the EWR Airport Train Station to one’s terminal.

I think the best strategy for non-poor people is to ride the train to the Newark train station, then take a cab to the airport.

The trains are fine.

Newark Penn Station is a bit shabby but fine.

The Newark airport is great.

The train from the airport is confusing, though, and the monorail system that connects the airport’s train station to the airport is a mess. The tracks are bad, the sound systems in the monorail cars are broken, and the escalators in the monorail stations are messed up.

I’d much rather spend a little extra on a cab than deal with the monorail mess.

The Amtrak literally has a stop at EWR you don't need a cab!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone think Newark or Newark airport train station is better? I am going to drop my daughter at either Newark or Newark airport train station on Sunday and she'll take the NJ transit into Penn station (much cheaper than amtrak). I am driving to N Jersey anyway---does it matter which one I drop her at in terms of convenience or anything else?

Newark Airport train station would be my choice.

Newark train station is in the city so if you’re trying to avoid that then Newark airport. But honestly why Newark? Depending on where you’re coming from I’d either drive her to the path in Hoboken (if you really want to make it easy for her) or drop her at some station further out in NJ like summit or whichever line you’re closer to

This is actually the right answer.

thanks for the Hoboken suggestion---that's what we'll do!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG. Some of you are watching WAY too much Fox News. The Newark airport is fine, as is the train station that services the airport. You can do one of those long-term parking situations if you need to ... there are multiple sites.

And you have to drive past Baltimore to get there!

Oh true. Ugh, Baltimore. You can almost see the crime from the highway! It's treacherous!

Don't worry, as long as you have a spotter for the periodic grenades thrown onto the tunnel approaches, you will be fine.