2. Before Penn Station Opened, Rail Passengers Had to Cross the Hudson River by Ferry
Before Pennsylvania Station opened in 1910, passengers traveling on the Pennsylvania Railroad from points west were not able to cross the Hudson River. All passengers had to disembark from their trains in Jersey City.
In Jersey City, at a terminal site now occupied by the Exchange Place PATH station, travelers would board ferries to get them across the river to Manhattan. Once on the New York side, they would alight at the Cortlandt Street ferry station and travel on to their final destinations.