“Every word, every nuance, every bit of body language, everything was extremely positive,” said Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Long Island. | Specner Platt/Getty Images N.Y. officials optimistic on rail project after meeting with Trump

Following a high-stakes, bipartisan meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, participants said they were optimistic the president would, in fact, commit federal funding for a rail project that experts consider integral to the viability of the New York metropolitan region, as well as the nation’s economy.

The meeting was “wonderful,” said Rep. Dan Donovan, a Republican from Staten Island, though he acknowledged the president made no firm commitment to the nearly $30 billion Gateway project.


Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Long Island, added: “It was one of the best meetings I’ve ever been to. Every word, every nuance, every bit of body language, everything was extremely positive.”

The president and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, King said, “must have shaken hands at least three or four times.”

The White House organized Thursday’s meeting at the request of Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and its purpose was to discuss what is widely considered the most important infrastructure project in the United States.

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Also attending were New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as well as members of the two states’ congressional delegations.

The Gateway project would, among other things, include a new cross-Hudson rail tunnel to replace the one New Jersey commuters, and Amtrak, rely on to access Midtown Manhattan.

The existing rail tunnel is more than a century old and was falling into disrepair even before Hurricane Sandy inundated it with brackish water five years ago.

Amtrak estimates that it may have to close one or more of the tunnel’s two tubes within the next decade to make emergency repairs, something that experts say would prove devastating to the region.

At the tail end of the Obama administration, the federal government and Amtrak agreed to split the cost of the project with New York and New Jersey.

Since taking office, Trump has expressed little more than ambivalence about that funding agreement, though King said he detected none of that at Thursday’s meeting.

“The meeting went on for 45 minutes, and the only numbers that were used were $30 billion and 50-50,” he said.

Attendance at the meeting was a testament to its perceived importance.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao sat on one side of the president, and Gary Cohn, the president’s chief economic adviser, on the other, Donovan said. Chief of staff John Kelly sat across from the president, King said.

In addition to Christie, Cuomo and Schumer, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) also were in attendance.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Schumer lingered for several minutes to chat further with the president, a knowledgeable source said.

“The meeting was positive,” Schumer said in a statement. “The president was receptive and wants to get back to us on Gateway.”

Cuomo agreed but also sounded cautious.

"While the White House meeting was productive, it was inconclusive," he said in a statement. "The leaders from New York and New Jersey reiterated that construction of new passenger rail tunnels under the Hudson is not only urgent, but critical for the entire northeast region and long overdue."

Booker offered a more skeptical take.

“President Trump has made plenty of promises on infrastructure, which so far have fallen flat,” he said. “It’s time for him to step up and commit to real investment in Gateway in order to strengthen our region’s surface transportation networks, bolster our economy and boost job creation.”

