The pope’s schedule: DC, New York, Philadelphia

It's the big day: Pope Francis visits the United States for the first time, landing at Joint Base Andrews in Washington D.C. Tuesday afternoon.

He's got a packed schedule of public and private events — having the most impact on our neighborhood as he comes to New York City and Philadelphia later this week.

If you're planning on joining the masses of people seeing the pope, you'll want to get an early start on your day — and get your travel plans set. Amtrak has added dozens of extra trains for the Sept. 26 to 27 Philadelphia stop and is lengthening regularly scheduled trains while Francis is in New York and Washington.

NJ Transit tickets from Atlantic City to Philly are on sale, as are tickets on the River line, but you'll want to buy them sooner than later and check out the travel advisories. PATCO will provide non-stop service westboundto Center City Philadelphia on Sept.  26. 27 between each of four New Jersey stations and the 9/10th & Locust Street station. SEPTA will not be running service out of Trenton.

The pope's schedule is below:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (WASHINGTON, DC)

• 4 p.m.    Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (WASHINGTON, DC)

• 9:15  a.m.  Welcome ceremony and meeting with President Obama at the White House
• 11 a.m.  Papal Parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall (time approximate)
• 11:30 a.m. Midday Prayer with the bishops of the United States, St. Matthew's Cathedral
• 4:15  p.m.  Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 (WASHINGTON, DC, NEW YORK CITY)

• 9:20  a.m. Address to Joint Meeting of the United States Congress
• 11:15 a.m. Visit to St. Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
• 4 p.m.  Depart from Joint Base Andrews
• 5 p.m.  Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport
• 6:45 p.m.  Evening Prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick's Cathedral

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (NEW YORK CITY)

• 8:30 a.m. Visit to the United Nations and Address to the United Nations General Assembly
• 11:30 a.m. Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center
• 4 p.m.  Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem
• 5 p.m.   Procession through Central Park (time approximate)
• 6 p.m.  Mass at Madison Square Garden

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (NEW YORK CITY, PHILADELPHIA)

• 8:40 a.m.  Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport
• 9:30 a.m.  Arrival at Atlantic Aviation, Philadelphia
• 10:30 a.m. Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia
• 4:45 p.m.  Visit to Independence Mall
• 7:30 p.m.  Visit to the Festival of Families Benjamin Franklin Parkway

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 (PHILADELPHIA)

• 9:15   a.m.  Meeting with bishops at St. Martin's Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
• 11 a.m. Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility
• 4 p.m.   Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• 7 p.m.  Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families, Atlantic Aviation
• 8 p.m.  Departure for Rome

Here's how you can keep up with all the latest news from New Jersey 101.5 as it happens:

• Keep an eye on our special Pope visit coverage page, which we'll be updating all week with live video, traffic updates, reactions from local leaders and much more.
• Listen to New Jersey 101.5 on your radio dial, or online at NJ1015.com. Mobile users: Download Radiopup to listen any time from your Android or iOS device.
• Follow New Jersey 101.5 on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
• Text TRAFFIC or NEWS to 89000 for traffic and news alerts.

And you can contribute, too! Be extra eyes and ears in the crowd. Is the traffic overwhelming? Is the walk from Camden to Philadelphia going as planned? Let us know by:

• Tagging @nj1015 on Twitter and @nj101.5 on Instagram.
• Calling in to 800-283-1015.
• Emailing newsjerz@nj1015.com.

Want to share lots and lots of news? Email us at newsjerz@nj1015.com before Friday with the words "pope visit" in the subject to make arrangements to get in touch throughout the visit.