Amtrak tunnel closures loom for badly needed repairs on aging Hudson River crossings
OCTOBER 1, 2014, 7:40 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014, 12:17 AM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Traveling from New Jersey to New York City is about to get even harder.
The salty floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy caused so much damage to two train tunnels under the Hudson River that they must be closed for additional hours every week, which will mean fewer trains and longer waits for commuters, officials said. Already, the tunnels are closed for large portions of the weekends for repairs. Now, those closures will extend into the week.
And that work is just a stopgap because the 104-year-old tunnels will continue to deteriorate, said Stephen J. Gardner, an Amtrak spokesman. Eventually the tunnels must be closed for about a year apiece and completely rebuilt. That could come to pass within the next 20 years, officials have said.
Before that happens, Amtrak’s leaders hope to build two additional new tunnels capable of handling existing traffic. But those will cost in excess of $10 billion, and likely much more. New tunnels were being built, but the project was scrapped in October 2010 by Governor Christie, who cited potential cost overruns that would have to be borne by New Jersey taxpayers.
If the old tunnels close before new ones are constructed, the region’s transportation network could be crippled, said Anthony R. Coscia, chairman of Amtrak’s board of directors.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/amtrak-tunnel-closures-loom-for-badly-needed-repairs-on-aging-hudson-river-crossings-1.1100258#sthash.QBGeMQWP.dpuf
