Passenger Trains > NJT Recommendations - Tripod?

Howdy, flying out to Newark tomorrow. I have a tripod and will need to use it for my videography so leaving it in the car is a nonstarter. One of my days out, Saturday, will focus on the Newark area and I have read online that NJT and PATH police don't like folks with tripods on station platforms, is this true? I know it's against their rules but how strictly enforced is it?

Are there non-platform spots in the Newark/Harrison/Secaucus area that are tripod accessible? Thanks!

-Kacey

PATH police are notoriously opposed to tripods. There is a parking garage adjacent to Harrison station which offers good angles and no hassle.

In my experience, NJ Transit is OK with tripods at the end of platforms, out of the way, etc.

Posted from Android

I would stay away from the Newark Airport rail station with a camera. The same Port Authority owns it that bans PATH photography. Nobody has sued them for the 1st amendment yet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/25 16:25 by joemvcnj.

Good observation on the airport station.

The parking garage at the South end of the westbound platform in Elizabeth station is an excellent location for afternoon video. Also Linden and Rahway.

Posted from Android

I will second all the locations noted by Lackawanna. The Elizabeth station area has parking garages on both sides, good for morning or afternoon. The Harrison parking garage is on the west side so it's better for afternoon's only. One important piece of advice is to not be flashing your camera around and inviting unwanted attention. A good idea is to download the NJT app and select departure vision to find the status of all of their trains.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would stay away from the Newark Airport rail
> station with a camera. The same Port Authority
> owns it that bans PATH photography. Nobody has
> sued them for the 1st amendment yet.

Maybe they figured it's not worth the hassle even if someone else like the ACLU is paying the legal bills.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I would stay away from the Newark Airport rail
> > station with a camera. The same Port Authority
> > owns it that bans PATH photography. Nobody has
> > sued them for the 1st amendment yet.
>
> Maybe they figured it's not worth the hassle even
> if someone else like the ACLU is paying the legal
> bills.

Port Authority is very sensitive on anyone photographing or sketching inside or around its facilities. They have (had?) signs up at the Port Authority Bus Terminal as well.

Even before 9/11 they were sensitive to it.  Losing 35 police officers and civilian PANYNJ employees increased the sensitivity. 

Today's phones have better video quality than the consumer grade video cameras of 15 years ago, especially in low light, and nobody will bug you for using one.

Hold you phone up and pretend you are texting, and hit the camera icon. Just make sure you flash us off.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/25 04:30 by joemvcnj.

Even the transit agencies that allow casual photography on their platforms can be hinky about tripods, either on the grounds that using one makes you a professional or that doing so interferes with commuters trying to get to/from trains. Proceed with caution.

Tripods are expressly forbidden on the NYC Subways, for example.

More general information here, while noting that some of it is old:
https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Subway_FAQ:_Photo_Permit_Information#google_vignette

Watch out at Path station platforms-they don't really want people taking pictures but people do so anyway. I have even taken some pictures of NJT trains at Harrison Station but very quickly. Try to stick to the NJT owned stations for photos-many of the NJT Stations on the NEC are great for photos like Edison.