NJ Transit Track Prediction at New York Penn Station
NJTracker tells you which track your NJ Transit train will leave from at New York Penn Station before NJ Transit posts it — so you can be standing at the right stairs while everyone else is staring at the departure board.
See today’s predicted tracksFigures are recalculated from NJTracker’s own records every hour · last updated .
How NJTracker predicts your track
NJ Transit doesn’t announce a train’s track at New York Penn Station until shortly before it leaves, and then hundreds of riders rush the same stairway. NJTracker works the track out earlier from three things:
1. Live signal circuits
NJ Transit’s live train-position feed reports the signal circuit each train is standing on. Inside Penn Station, the platform circuits map directly onto track numbers. So the moment an arriving train — or one pulled in from Sunnyside Yard — reaches its platform, NJTracker knows the track, often well before it appears on the board. Those calls are marked with a ✓.
2. Track history for every line and train
Before a train is anywhere near its platform, NJTracker falls back on history: which tracks that train number, its line and that time of day have actually used at Penn Station, weighted toward the recent past.
3. What’s on the other tracks right now
A track that another train is still sitting on, or is about to leave from, can’t take yours yet. NJTracker adjusts the odds as the station fills and empties.
Ten minutes before departure the prediction locks. It is saved and later scored against the track NJ Transit actually posted, so the accuracy figure above comes from the same predictions riders saw. At Penn, pairs of tracks share one island platform (Tracks 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and so on), so a call that names the right platform has you waiting at the right stairs even when the train takes the other side.
How accuracy has changed over time
Every day since September 13, the share of NJ Transit trains whose predicted track was the exact track. Each train is scored on the call NJTracker made ten minutes before departure, or at the moment NJ Transit posted the track if that came first. The solid line is every train; the dashed lines split them by where the track came from: the train’s own signal circuit, or the prediction from its history and the other tracks at the lock or NJ Transit’s post. Tap or point at the chart for a day’s figures.
A day appears once its trains are scored, after 3 AM the next morning. This chart counts the exact track; a call that named the right platform but the other side of it is counted as wrong here. The evening of September 15, when a disabled train blocked a Hudson River tunnel, is left out. Every day’s figures, each line’s, and what changed when are on the accuracy page.
Which tracks does each NJ Transit line use at Penn Station?
Most NJ Transit trains leave New York Penn from Tracks 1 to 4. Here are each line’s most-used tracks over the last 30 days:
| Line | Most-used tracks | Trains |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast Corridor | Track 2 15%, Track 3 14%, Track 1 14%, Track 4 12% | 1548 |
| North Jersey Coast Line | Track 2 18%, Track 4 16%, Track 3 16%, Track 1 14% | 845 |
| Morris & Essex Lines | Track 4 21%, Track 2 19%, Track 3 19%, Track 1 18% | 740 |
| Montclair-Boonton Line | Track 3 22%, Track 2 15%, Track 1 14%, Track 4 11% | 93 |
| Raritan Valley Line | Track 4 26%, Track 1 20%, Track 2 14%, Track 12 11% | 35 |
History only says what’s likely. For a specific train, the live board combines this with the signal data above — check your train’s predicted track.
How to use it
- Open njtracker.com — no app to download and no account. On a phone, add it to your Home Screen and it opens full screen like an app.
- Find your train on the departures board. The Pred column shows NJTracker’s predicted track next to the official one; tap a train for the odds on each track, its stops, crowding and live position.
- Save your commute under ❤️ Favorites. Pick where you start and where you’re going, and the board shows your next trains in the direction you’re travelling, plus the full day’s schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How early does NJ Transit post the track at New York Penn Station?
Usually about 10 minutes before departure. Over the last 30 days, one NJ Transit departure in ten had its track posted 8 minutes or less before it left. NJTracker shows a predicted track for every train long before that.
How accurate are NJTracker’s track predictions?
Every prediction is checked against the track NJ Transit posts. Over the last 7 days, NJTracker called 352 tracks before NJ Transit posted them: 93% sent riders to the right platform, and 93% named the exact track. When a train has already reached its platform, the track is read straight off the signal circuit it is standing on and is marked with a check mark.
Which tracks do NJ Transit trains use at Penn Station?
Most NJ Transit trains leave New York Penn Station from Tracks 1 to 4, with the rest spread over the higher-numbered tracks. The table on this page shows each line’s most-used tracks over the last 30 days.
Is NJTracker free, and is it an official NJ Transit app?
NJTracker is free, needs no account, and runs in any web browser. It is an independent project by Stanley Wu and is not affiliated with NJ Transit or Amtrak.
Does NJTracker work for stations other than New York Penn?
Live departures work for every NJ Transit rail station. Track predictions and the platform map are for New York Penn Station, where the track is the question riders are waiting on.
Does NJTracker show Amtrak trains?
Yes. Amtrak departures from New York Penn Station are on the board with their tracks and live speeds. Track predictions are for NJ Transit trains.