Amtrak reopened East River Tunnel (ERT) Line 2 this week, marketing the end of the first major phase of the $1.6 billion ERT Rehabilitation Project that is scheduled to finish by the end of 2027.
The project will significantly repair and reconstruct two of the four tubes of the 116-year-old East River Tunnel, one of the busiest passenger rail tunnels in the Western Hemisphere, that were damaged by floodwaters from Superstorm Sandy. The tunnel serves 450 daily Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ TRANSIT trains.
Crews reconstructed the tunnel’s interior systems, including track, power, communications, drainage, and structural elements, over the past year. Work included the demolition, removal and replacement of significantly deteriorated infrastructure and the construction of bench walls designed to improve safety, maintenance access and operational performance. Crews removed and replaced 8,000 tons of ballast, 8,000 wooden rail ties, 20,000 cubic yards of bench wall concrete and more than 24,000 feet of rail.
This fall, the second and final phase of the project will begin and will feature the same scope of work for the Line 1 tunnel. Amtrak will conduct additional hardening activities ahead of the work to reduce the risk of infrastructure failures.
Three tunnels remain in service during the project.