

Altogether, Gateway involves expanding Penn Station and adding tracks beneath it, as well as making improvements along the Northeast rail corridor, including replacing a 111-year-old swing bridge in New Jersey. Schumer promised he will shepherd the Gateway program toward completion. Now, with an ally in the White House, Mr. He pressed the Trump administration for approvals and funding, to no avail. Schumer has been an ardent champion of building a modern rail link to New York City. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, who is now the majority leader, was among them. Christie had passed up billions of dollars of federal money that would have flowed to the region. Democratic leaders from both sides of the Hudson were furious that Mr. Christie, a Republican, argued that New Jersey would have been responsible for any cost overruns, which could have amounted to an unfair and unaffordable burden to the state. Construction had begun on that tunnel, with federal backing, when New Jersey’s former governor, Chris Christie, ordered a halt. tunnel and it was going to lead not to Penn Station, but to a new terminal deep beneath 34th Street, near Macy’s flagship store. In a previous incarnation, the concept was known as the A.R.C. That stonewalling was the second major setback to a plan that dates back to the 20th century. Coscia and elected officials from New York and New Jersey. But some Republican leaders saw it as a gift to New York and a potential boondoggle that could wind up costing much more than advertised.īut the federal Department of Transportation, which under President Trump was headed by Elaine Chao, did not respond to the application, despite repeated entreaties from Mr. Democratic politicians have promoted it as a critical piece of the nation’s transportation infrastructure that cannot be realized without significant aid from Washington. The idea of building the tunnels has been a political football for years. About $1.8 billion of the $11.6 billion estimated cost for the tunnel project would go toward overhauling the old tubes, they say. Salt left over from the flooding has been eating away at the interior walls and electrical cables, forcing occasional shutdowns for repairs.Īmtrak officials say that the old tubes cannot be fully fixed until there are new ones to handle the daily traffic. Since the hurricane, transportation officials in the New York region have worried about the deteriorating condition of the existing tubes under the Hudson. The new train hall hearkens back to the original Penn Station as a lofty, uplifting entry to the city.

What Is the Gateway Project? : The project will add two tunnels under the Hudson River and repair the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey.A $30 billion project is a crucial transit link between Midtown Manhattan and New Jersey that serves local commuters and travelers on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. They would supplement the existing single-track tunnels that are more than 110 years old and were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The one-track tunnels, which would carry trains deep under the Hudson River, are part of a massive project known as Gateway that aims to modernize the rail system that serves New York City. If they leave office, there is no assurance their successors will uphold that commitment. While the governors of New York and New Jersey have agreed to share the cost with the federal government, both have elections looming.

Ambitious transportation projects in the region have often ballooned in cost as construction delays or design changes drove up the final tally. Still, as with many major infrastructure plans in the early stages, there are still uncertainties, especially around the finances. Buttigieg said in a statement announcing the approval. “This is a big step for the Northeast, and for the entire country, as these tunnels connect so many people, jobs and businesses,” Mr.
