The $11.6 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, which would build a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey and repair an existing 110-year-old tunnel, will advance after receiving a favorable environmental review from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) last week.
The DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) and Record of Decision for the Hudson Tunnel Project, a milestone that will allow pre-construction activities to move forward after the project stalled for years under the Trump Administration.
“This is a big step for the Northeast, and for the entire country, as these tunnels connect so many people, jobs, and businesses,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said.
The project involves the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, including railroad infrastructure in New Jersey and New York connecting the new rail tunnel to the existing Northeast Corridor – the busiest rail corridor in the nation. It also includes the rehabilitation of the existing Northeast Corridor rail tunnel beneath the river, known as the North River Tunnel, once the new tunnel is complete. The North River Tunnel sustained damage after being flooded with seawater during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and is currently used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains traveling between New Jersey and New York City and beyond.
The DOT said the Record of Decision represents the completion of the federal environmental review process that is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, while the Final EIS represents the evaluation of the environmental impact of the project incorporating changes made to it in response to public comments received from a range of stakeholders. Both are required before any federal funding can be allocated to the project.
The Hudson Tunnel Project is part of the Gateway Program, which will improve a congested 10-mile section of the Northeast Corridor by doubling capacity for passenger trains under the Hudson River into Penn Station in New York.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the DOT’s action was “a key step forward to building rail infrastructure that will be dependable for decades to come. We look forward to working with our regional and federal partners to complete the Hudson Tunnel Project and continue to advance the Gateway Program in order to provide much needed relief to commuters and businesses in New Jersey and New York.”
Funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project will largely consist of a combination of federal and state funds, and the governors of New York and New Jersey have pledged to split the cost with the federal government.
Construction of the new Hudson Tunnel is expected to take approximately seven years if steady funding is received. After the new tunnel is complete, repairs of the existing Northeast Corridor rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River is expected to take another three years. Once the rehabilitation is complete, both the existing and new tunnels would be in service, providing extra capacity and increased operational flexibility for both Amtrak and NJ Transit.
“The Hudson Tunnel Project will improve resiliency and reliability in the heart of the Northeast Corridor, positively impacting the lives of thousands of daily commuters and intercity passengers,” said Amtrak President Stephen Gardner. “Along with the expansion of Penn Station New York, the Portal North Bridge Project and other improvements, the Hudson Tunnel Project is an essential and long overdue first step toward replacing the existing configuration with a fully integrated, modernized 4-track railroad.”
The Northeast Corridor is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the United States, with more than 2,000 trains per day carrying roughly 800,000 daily passenger trips across eight states and Washington D.C.
Noting the Gateway Program is the most critical infrastructure project for the national economy, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said: “With the Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision behind us, we look forward to working with the Biden Administration and our partners to get the Gateway Tunnel Project completed.”