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9/2/2022
The proposed Hudson River rail tunnel replacement — the biggest of the Gateway passenger-rail projects — will take three years longer than expected to complete, the Gateway Development Commission announced this week.
The commission, which is managing the project to replace the rail tubes that Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains use to travel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, announced the project completion date is now delayed to 2035, The New York Times reported.
Also, the project cost has ballooned another $2 billion, the newspaper reported. While the completion delay will not change the price, at least $1 billion is attributed to inflation, commission CEO Kris Kolluri told the newspaper.
The $16.1 billion project has been in the works since 2014, when then-Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman warned that the century-old tunnel would need to be shut down and rehabilitated by 2034 due to age and damage from Hurricane Sandy.
Amtrak owns the tunnel, but it is heavily used by New Jersey Transit.
"This is a massive tunnel with various component parts, and it is important to also know that it is a long project from a duration standpoint, and it’s also complex in scope," Kolluri said.
The commission will try to make up the cost difference through funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed last year, the NYTimes reported. The remaining cost overrun will be split between New York, New Jersey and the federal government. The commission is a joint public authority created by New York and New Jersey.