Amtrak And NJ Senators Propose Another Plan For New Train Tunnel Connecting To NYC

Passengers wait on the platform as an Amtrak train pulls into the station at Newark Penn Station.

(nj.com file photo)

Construction of new Amtrak tunnels and several allied projects to New York could cost an estimated $16 billion and under the most optimistic scenario could take up to a decade to build.

"It could be done in seven years if we put some incentives on it," Amtrak president Joseph Boardman said during an interview with the Star-Ledger editorial board. "We're looking at a minimum of seven years to 11 years. That's from the time we get a go-ahead."



Amtrak officials are in a race against time to avoid a commuting nightmare if one of the existing 100-year old tunnels has to be closed for major repairs before new tunnels are built. Train traffic would slow to a trickle, from an average of 24 to 6 trains per hour if one of the existing tunnels had to be closed.

The regional economy could lose $100 million a day in economic activity, due to a shut down, Boardman said.



About 400 NJ Transit commuter trains a day travel through the existing tunnels, he said.

An estimated 50 and 80 percent of the Gateway tunnel project funding should come from the federal government, with the remainder to be divided between New Jersey, New York and Amtrak, Boardman said. The Gateway Project includes two new tunnels under the Hudson, adding two new tracks along the corridor in New Jersey south of Newark, and construction an annex to New York's Penn Station to handle additional trains.

Gov. Chris Christie cancelled the Access to the Region's Core tunnel project in October 2010 over concerns the state could get stuck with overrun costs that could have brought that project to $14 billion. He expressed support for a jointly funded tunnel to Penn Station.

Any cost overruns for the Gateway project would be shared, Boardman said.

Exact costs to build the tunnels, a new Portal Bridge and an annex south of New York Penn Station won't be known until after preliminary engineering is done. The next step is for Amtrak to take proposals from companies to conduct an environmental review in the spring, Boardman said.



Building new tunnels took on added importance when Amtrak officials announced last month that the existing tunnels were damaged by flood waters driven by Hurricane Sandy. Building new tunnels would allow one of the old tunnels to be taken out of service for one year for major repairs without affecting rail service.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.