President Biden promised on Tuesday that 200,000 frequently-delayed city-bound train passengers will soon see the light, but it is still more than a decade away.
During a speech at the West Side Yard rail complex in Manhattan, Vice President Biden touted $292 million in funding from his Bipartisan Infrastructure Act that will help pay for the installation of $643 million worth of concrete casing from Penn Station to the Hudson River for a second tunnel to the Secaucus Junction station in New Jersey.
Biden spoke to the eventual completion of the $16 billion tunnel as “crucial for everything else we’re going to build in the corridor — and rail in general.”
The president’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan will contribute $8 billion to the new tunnel’s construction.
He stated, “This is a multibillion-dollar initiative between the states and the federal government.” “But now that we have the funds, we will complete the project. I assure you we will complete the task.”
However, the president, who is 80 years old, emphasised that “it will take time” — and he wasn’t exaggerating.
The river tunnel is not scheduled to be completed until sometime in 2035, barring any delays. Construction is not scheduled to begin until fall 2024.
Because of the congestion of passengers travelling New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains along the “Northeast Corridor” between Washington, DC, and Boston, officials have desired to create an additional tunnel beneath the Hudson River for at least a century.
Flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 severely damaged the current two-track tunnel, and electrical system failures frequently create cascading delays throughout the system.
Access to the Region’s Core was a scheme suggested in the mid-1990s that would have cost $8.7 billion to construct a new tunnel and terminal for NJT trains beneath Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
The project was terminated in 2010 by then-New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who redirected funds to pay for highway repairs instead.
The proposed tunnel is part of a broader endeavour known as the “Gateway Program,” which would also replace New Jersey’s deteriorating, movable Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, which connects Newark and Secaucus.
In addition, a new looping stretch of tracks would be constructed so that NJT can add service to Penn Station on lines that currently finish in Hoboken, allowing passengers to reach Midtown Manhattan in a single ride.
Those passengers must now transfer to a train to Penn Station at Secaucus.
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