Hoboken's PATH station will be closed for most of February. Here’s why.

The PATH train station in Hoboken, New Jersey, will be closed for almost a month starting on Jan. 30 for a major rehabilitation, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the rail system.

The closure is scheduled to last through Feb. 24 and is part of the agency’s two-year, $430 million plan to modernize the 116-year-old PATH system. The Port Authority said it will carry out three projects at the station simultaneously, including track and switch replacements as well as staircase and walking surface repairs, in order to reduce how much time the work would otherwise take.

The rehab is set to start two weeks after the PATH fare increased from $2.75 to $3 for single rides. The Port Authority said the closure was planned for a less busy time of year for PATH, but acknowledged that it would be disruptive for commuters. The closure also comes as more people are crowding trains to avoid the city's $9 congestion fee for vehicles driving into Manhattan.

“We are committed to full transparency throughout this process and providing an array of travel alternatives during the closure,” said Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, in a statement. Without the full closure, the agency said, repairs to tunnel tracks at the station would have caused a year’s worth of weekend service reductions.

The Port Authority said it will offer additional ferry service during peak travel hours and free shuttle buses connecting Hoboken riders to the Newport and Exchange Place PATH stations in Jersey City. The agency said NJ Transit will also run buses more frequently on the 126 route between Hoboken and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown.

On weekdays, supplemental PATH trains between Jersey City and the World Trade Center and 33rd Street stations in Manhattan will be running as well, along with additional service on NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.

For more information on the Hoboken station closure and alternate transit options, visit the Port Authority’s website.