Amtrak awards construction contract for East River Tunnel rehabilitation

Amtrak will begin the East River Tunnel's rehabilitation in New York City later this year following the award of a construction contract to a Skanska E-J ERT Joint Venture.

The tunnel is comprised of four tubes, two of which require significant repairs and comprehensive reconstruction following damage caused by floodwaters that entered the tunnel during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, according to an Amtrak release.

The $1.6 billion project calls for demolishing all existing tunnel systems down to the liner, then restoring both tubes. During the project, one tube will be closed at a time, minimizing service impacts while maximizing track access for construction and renewing the tunnel infrastructure to last another 100 years, Amtrak officials said.

The East River Tunnel opened in 1910 and connects New York Penn Station with Queens and beyond. It connects intercity trains leaving Manhattan on the Northeast Corridor north to Boston and commuter trains heading east to Long Island or into Sunnyside Yard, where trains are stored and cleaned before traveling back to New York Penn Station and eventually into New Jersey.

Each day, the tunnel is used by more than 450 Amtrak, MTA Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit trains.

Preparatory work already is underway in Sunnyside Yard, with major construction expected to begin late this year and continue through 2027.