Newark Airport from New York: How to Get There by Train and What to Expect

Hi, I'm Ino.

It was the last day of my New York trip. Central Park runs, Broadway shows, dim sum in Chinatown, bagels at dawn — several packed days were now behind me, and it was time to pack up and head back to Holland, Michigan.

My departure airport this time was Newark Liberty International Airport — EWR. It's less talked about than JFK or LaGuardia, but it's actually one of the three major airports serving the New York area, and it's the U.S. gateway for Korea's Air Premia, which makes it relevant for a lot of travelers coming from Asia. Getting there from Manhattan means taking a train, and I knew that much. What I didn't fully appreciate was how the process actually worked once I was standing inside Penn Station with my bags.

This post walks through the full journey: Penn Station to the gate, the train connection that trips people up, and an honest look at the United Airlines Embraer E175 that took me back to Michigan.

Penn Station sits just beside Madison Square Garden — the starting point for the train to Newark Airport.

Penn Station: Bigger and More Confusing Than It Looks

Penn Station is located in Midtown Manhattan, directly beneath Madison Square Garden, between 31st and 33rd Streets. It is the busiest rail hub in the Western Hemisphere, handling more than 600,000 passengers on a typical weekday. That number is not obvious from the outside, but the moment you descend into the station with luggage, it becomes very clear very fast.

The inside is a maze of corridors, ticketing counters, vending machines, and departure boards, all under low ceilings and fluorescent lighting. People move quickly and purposefully, and if you don't know where you're going, the easiest thing to do is stop, find the main departure board, and look for one thing: the airplane icon, or the letters "EWR." That's your train.

The NJ Transit trains to Newark Airport run on two lines — the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line. They leave from Penn Station roughly every 20 minutes during daytime hours. The important detail is that not every train on these lines stops at the airport. Only trains marked with the airplane symbol or "EWR" on the departure board will take you there. When the platform number appears on the board, everyone heading to the airport moves at once — follow the flow and you'll be fine.

Tip: Download the NJ Transit app before you leave your hotel and buy your ticket in advance. The app accepts major credit cards and digital wallets, and having a mobile ticket means you skip the vending machine queues entirely. Search for "Newark Airport" as your destination — the AirTrain connection fee ($8.75) is automatically included in the ticket price.

The NJ Transit commuter train — a double-decker that runs between Penn Station and Newark Airport.

You Need to Transfer — Here's Exactly How It Works

I assumed the train would take me directly to the airport terminal. It doesn't. The journey involves two legs: the NJ Transit commuter train from Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport Station, and then the AirTrain monorail that connects the rail station to the actual terminals.

The NJ Transit portion takes approximately 30 minutes from Penn Station. The train itself is a standard double-decker commuter rail — nothing glamorous, but clean and functional. Keep your ticket accessible during the ride, because you'll need it again at the AirTrain gate. When you arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport Station, follow the signs for AirTrain. The transfer is straightforward, but the walk between the train platform and the AirTrain can take a few minutes.

The AirTrain then connects to all three terminals — A, B, and C — as well as rental car facilities and parking. Travel times from the rail station to each terminal vary: Terminal C takes about 7 minutes, Terminal B about 11 minutes, and Terminal A about 20 minutes. Between 5 AM and 11 PM, the AirTrain runs every 3 to 5 minutes. After 11 PM, service drops to approximately every 15 minutes and operates as a shuttle with required transfers between trains. Budget about 45 to 60 minutes total from Penn Station to your terminal, and add more time if you're traveling during rush hour.

Good to know: There is one confusing stop that catches people every time — Newark Penn Station. This is a separate station in the city of Newark, one stop before the airport. The names sound almost identical, but Newark Penn Station is not the airport. Stay on the train until the next stop: Newark Liberty International Airport Station. Listen for the announcement and check the station name before you get off.

The gate view at Newark — the aircraft already connected, Manhattan waiting quietly in the distance.

The View from the Gate

After clearing security and finding my gate, I sat down and looked out the window. The Manhattan skyline was right there — closer and clearer than I expected from an airport in New Jersey. The Empire State Building and One World Trade Center were visible through the haze, two landmarks I had been looking at all week from street level.

It was an odd reversal. Earlier in the trip I had stood at the top of One World Observatory and looked down at the city spread out below. Now the city was in the distance and I was the one about to leave it. The skyline from a departure gate has a different quality to it — not something you linger over so much as something you register and remember.

Newark Airport is United Airlines' primary hub on the East Coast. Wherever you look on the tarmac, there are United aircraft — gates packed with them, rows of blue tail fins lined up in every direction. If you've spent time at airports dominated by multiple competing carriers, the uniformity here is noticeable.

The Manhattan skyline from Newark's runway — Empire State Building on the left, One World Trade Center on the right.

United Airlines: A Complicated but Honest Relationship

United Airlines has a complicated reputation. Over the years it has accumulated some of the most widely reported incidents in American aviation — the forced removal of a passenger from an overbooked flight in 2017, various baggage handling controversies, and a string of pet-related incidents that made international headlines. If you've read travel news at any point in the past decade, you've probably come across at least one unflattering story.

And yet I like United. I've been flying them since my student days, when they were often the most convenient option for routes between the U.S. Midwest and the coasts. The experiences have been mixed — genuinely mixed, not just diplomatically mixed. On one flight, I asked a flight attendant if she had any toothpaste I could use, and she handed me her own travel-sized tube and told me to keep it. On another, the passenger in front of me reclined their seat to the full extent during the meal service and the crew walked past three times without saying anything, leaving me to eat with a tray at a 45-degree angle. Both of those things happened, and both of them are United Airlines.

For short domestic routes like this one — New York to Michigan — I think United is a perfectly reasonable choice. The issues that attract the most criticism tend to surface on longer flights or in situations involving baggage and overbooking. For a one-hour regional hop, the variables are limited enough that the experience is usually fine.

The economy seats on the E175 — blue leather, 2-2 configuration, compact but functional for short hops.

The Embraer E175: A Plane You Won't Find in Korea

The aircraft for this flight was a United Express Embraer E175 — and if you're from South Korea or most parts of Asia, there's a good chance you've never flown on one. Korean carriers don't operate the type, and it's not widely used outside of the Americas and parts of Europe. For passengers accustomed to Boeing or Airbus narrowbodies, it's a noticeably different experience.

The E175 is a regional jet made by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace manufacturer founded in 1969. The E175 variant entered service in 2004 and has become one of the most widely used regional aircraft in the United States, with SkyWest Airlines alone operating over 230 of them. United's version seats 76 passengers across three cabins: 12 in First Class, 16 in Economy Plus, and 48 in standard Economy.

The most immediately noticeable feature is the seating layout: 2-2 across the entire economy cabin, with no middle seat. For anyone traveling as a pair, this means you get your two seats without a stranger between you. For solo travelers in a window seat, getting up to use the aisle requires only one other person to stand — a small but genuine quality-of-life difference compared to a 3-3 narrow body. The economy seat pitch is 31 inches, which is standard for U.S. domestic economy and adequate for flights under two hours.

The overhead bins are on the smaller side — the aircraft is currently being retrofitted with larger bins across the fleet, but not all E175s have been updated yet. If you're traveling with a standard carry-on roller bag, it's worth checking in at the gate whether your specific flight has the upgraded bins. If not, the airline may ask you to gate-check your bag at no charge, which is common on this aircraft type.

Good to know: In-flight Wi-Fi is available on most E175 flights for a fee — around $8 for MileagePlus members and $10 for non-members. There is no seatback entertainment screen in economy; entertainment is streamed to your own device via the United app. Download any content you want before boarding.

Every direction you look at Newark, it's United. The airline's blue tail fins dominate the entire tarmac.

The safety card in the seat pocket — confirmation you're on an E170/175, a type most Asian travelers won't have encountered before.

Ino's Tips for Getting from New York to Newark Airport

The full step-by-step route. From anywhere in Midtown Manhattan, make your way to Penn Station (beneath Madison Square Garden, between 31st and 33rd Streets on 7th Avenue). On the NJ Transit departure board, look for trains marked with an airplane icon or "EWR." Board the train, keep your ticket handy, and ride to Newark Liberty International Airport Station — approximately 30 minutes. At the station, follow signs for AirTrain. Scan your NJ Transit ticket at the AirTrain gate (the fee is already included). Take the AirTrain to your terminal — 7 minutes to Terminal C, 11 minutes to Terminal B, 20 minutes to Terminal A. Total door-to-gate time from Midtown: allow 60 to 75 minutes, plus check-in and security.

Buy your ticket before you arrive at Penn Station. The NJ Transit app is the easiest option — download it in advance, add a payment method, and search for "Newark Airport" as your destination. The AirTrain access fee ($8.75) is automatically included. If you prefer, you can buy at the vending machines inside Penn Station, but the queues can be long during busy periods and the machines occasionally have card reader issues. A one-way ticket from Penn Station to Newark Airport costs approximately $16–17 for most adult riders.

Do not get off at Newark Penn Station. This is the most common mistake. Newark Penn Station is a stop in downtown Newark — one stop before the airport. The names are confusingly similar. When you hear the announcement or see the station name, check that it says "Newark Liberty International Airport" before you stand up. The train continues one more stop after Newark Penn Station.

NJ Transit trains stop running after 1 AM. If your flight departs very early in the morning or if you're returning to the city on a late arrival, NJ Transit train service is not available between approximately 1 AM and 5 AM. For overnight travel, the alternative is to take the PATH train from Manhattan to Newark Penn Station (runs 24 hours, fare approximately $3), and then take NJ Transit Bus 62 from Newark Penn Station to Terminal B. The bus runs overnight and costs under $2. It's slower and requires more navigation, but it works.

The Newark Airport Express bus is worth knowing about. If your hotel is near Midtown Manhattan, the Newark Airport Express bus is a direct, no-transfer option that runs between three pickup points — Port Authority Bus Terminal (42nd Street), Bryant Park (42nd Street and 5th Avenue), and Grand Central Terminal (41st Street) — and all three airport terminals. One-way fare is approximately $17–23. The journey takes around 45 minutes in normal traffic, but can extend significantly during rush hour (weekday mornings 7–9 AM and evenings 4–7 PM). If you have a flexible schedule and hate transfers, this is a solid choice. If you're on a tight timeline, the train is more predictable.

Arrive at the airport early. Newark is a major international hub, and security lines can be long even for domestic departures. For domestic flights, arriving 2 hours before departure is the minimum — 2.5 hours is more comfortable if you're unfamiliar with the terminal layout. If you have TSA PreCheck, the process is considerably faster. Terminal C, where most United flights depart, is large and has multiple dining options past security, so there's no downside to arriving with time to spare.

Luggage space on the E175 is limited. If you're flying on an Embraer E175, be aware that the overhead bins are smaller than on a standard Boeing or Airbus. A full-size carry-on roller bag (22 inches) may not fit, depending on whether your specific aircraft has the upgraded larger bins. Gate-checking is free and common on this route — your bag will be waiting for you at the jet bridge when you land. If you want to avoid this, pack a smaller bag or check your luggage at the main counter.

If you want a longer look at what New York has to offer before heading to the airport, St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue is free, takes under an hour, and is a short walk from Penn Station. For the long-haul flight home after a U.S. trip, the contrast with a short domestic hop like this one is significant — I've written about what that experience looks like in my review of Korean Air Prestige Class from Incheon to Chicago.

The Last View of New York

Shortly after takeoff, the sky outside the window went dark. The city lights spread out below — a dense grid of roads and buildings, the distances between things made small by altitude. It's a view you've probably seen in photographs, but there's something different about watching it through a small oval window when you know the city below is the one you just spent a week in.

New York is a complicated place to travel. It's expensive, physically demanding, occasionally overwhelming, and very good at making you feel like you've barely scratched the surface no matter how much you've seen. I walked more miles in a few days there than I typically do in a month. I ate well, got lost twice, and spent one afternoon sitting quietly inside a cathedral while the city moved at full speed outside. That's a pretty good week.

The E175 climbed, the lights faded, and somewhere over New Jersey the grid gave way to darkness. Holland was a little over an hour away.

The last view of New York — city lights spreading to the horizon as the E175 climbs into the night.