Larry Higgs

@APPLarry

NEW YORK – Structural problems in the 104-year-old Hudson River tunnels were exacerbated by 13 million gallons of salt water that flooded them after superstorm Sandy, an event that Amtrak officials confirm will require closing the old tubes for a year for a complete rebuilding.

For the first time since Amtrak President Joe Boardman said that the old tunnels, used by thousands of commuters a day, had 20 years remaining before they’d have to be closed for repairs, officials of the national passenger railroad provided details about the extent of the damage and the increased need for building the proposed Gateway Tunnel project.

“We have a tunnel expert engaged in doing a detailed analysis on the actual conditions and remedies,” said Drew Galloway, Amtrak chief of Northeast Corridor Planning and Performance. “That analysis is not complete, but everything we’ve reviewed is indicating our president was accurate.”

That study will be completed in the next couple of months, said Craig Schultz, Amtrak spokesman.

‘Wake-up call’

The existing tunnels, built in 1910 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, sustained salt water damage similar to the kind that forced the PATH rail system to close its Hudson River tunnels between Jersey City and the World Trade Center every weekend until 2015 for repairs and upgrades. It’s also similar to flood damage that knocked the New York City subway system’s Montague subway tunnels under the East River out of service, said Galloway.

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“Sandy was a wake-up call, a slap in the face for all of us. It left long-term damage” to the tunnels, he said. “The storm damage triggered or greatly accelerated the deterioration we’re seeing.”

That includes damage to the overhead wires and electrical systems that power trains, as well as the tunnels’ concrete bench walls. It also accelerated the failure of tunnel drainage systems, Galloway said.

The old tunnels would have to be closed for one year for rebuilding, which makes building the Gateway and its two new tunnels under the Hudson a priority to avoid crippling the trans-Hudson rail network, officials said. New tunnels would be designed to be resilient against future severe weather, he said.

“It’s the first time in history the tunnels flooded,” Galloway said.

Flood damage compromised a trans-Hudson system, which is already fragile and running at capacity. One tunnel is typically taken out of service on weekends for ongoing scheduled maintenance, officials said. But infrastructure problems plague commuters during the work week, delaying trains.

“It’s the only time we can maintain them. ... We go from 24 to six trains per hour,” Galloway said. Due to the high volume of NJ Transit and Amtrak trains, “it would be unthinkable to do it (maintenance and single-track service) Monday to Friday.”

All of NJ Transit’s rail lines use Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Line and the tunnels to enter and leave New York, except for the Atlantic City Line. Two new tunnels have to be built to preserve the current capacity to and from Penn Station New York, while the old tunnels are rebuilt, he said.

“We will support the concept of advancing new tunnels to enable rebuilding of the existing tunnels. They will need to be completely rebuilt,” Galloway said.

Canceled tunnel

Amtrak officials announced the Gateway Project in February 2011 after Gov. Chris Christie canceled the Access to the Region’s Core tunnel project in October 2010, fearing that New Jersey taxpayers would be burdened with potential overruns which could have inflated costs to $14 billion instead of the $9 billion projected cost. While ARC would have terminated in a dead-end, deep-cavern station under 34th Street in New York City, Gateway will go to Penn Station. In 2011, Amtrak estimated the Gateway Tunnel project would cost $13 billion to build.

In addition to tunnels, Gateway proposes building a Penn Station south annex to provide more platforms and tracks for the additional trains. Penn Station is at capacity and the conversion of the former Farley Post Office to Moynihan Station would not have the tracks and platforms to accommodate the 13 additional trains an hour that Gateway would bring, Galloway said.

“It’s the first step in relieving Penn Station (crowding) from a people perspective. It doesn’t add new tracks or capacity,” he said, of Moynihan. “It might squeeze in another train (per hour) but it’s not a solution.”

After canceling ARC, Christie voiced support for building new tunnels to Penn Station New York, which spokesman Michael Drewniak reiterated last month in addition to a proposal to extend the No. 7 New York subway line to Secaucus. No progress has been made on the subway proposal since New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg left office.

In early August, commuters, frustrated when one tube of the old tunnels was shut down during the evening rush, got into heated arguments with Christie on social media about canceling ARC. Commuters continue to tweet the governor about constant delays due to infrastructure problems.

A proposal to build one Gateway tunnel to allow one of the old tunnels at a time to be taken out of service and repaired, would not work because it doesn’t provide station or track improvements, Galloway said.

Right of way kept

Amtrak and elected officials from New York and New Jersey took two significant steps to preserve the route for Gateway as a development progresses over Long Island Railroad’s Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side. Construction is underway on a $185 million tunnel encasement, a concrete structure to ensure the tunnel right-of-way would not be built over.

“If we didn’t do it, you could kiss Gateway goodbye,” Galloway said.

Amtrak, the MTA and NJ Transit have applied to the Federal Transit Administration for a $65 million matching grant for another 105-foot long structure to preserve the Gateway route under the 11th Avenue viaduct in Manhattan, Galloway said.

In 2015, Amtrak officials hope to wrap up system design work and advance development beyond the concept stage, Galloway said. “That involves the support of Albany, Trenton and (New York) city hall.”