Rail Fares

The PATH train from World Trade Center to Newark Penn Station costs $1.75. It's roughly a ten-mile trip and it takes 22 minutes. At 27.3mph, this is rather slow, but the cost per mile is rather cheap 17.5 cents.

The NJ Transit train from Newark Penn Station to Newark Airport Railroad station costs $7.75. It's roughly a three-mile trip and it takes six minutes. At 30mph this is about the same as the PATH train, and the cost per mile is a ridiculous $2.58.

You could take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shinagawa, one station away, and it would cost you about $8.50 for a five-mile trip. It takes about six minutes because the train can't accelerate to 180mph and then stop in a five-mile span. This is still only $1.70 per mile. In fact, for the Shinkansen trip to cost more, you'd have to take the green car, which is like the equivalent of first class on an airplane. Incidentally, the NJ Transit train doesn't have such accomodations.

I bet a ferry between Lower Manhattan and Newark-Liberty International Airport would be cheaper and faster than the train if such a thing existed.