Amtrak reopens New York's East River Tunnel damaged during Hurricane Sandy
Amtrak is reopening an East River Tunnel line in New York that underwent major renovations after being damaged by Hurricane Sandy back in 2012.
Line 2 was back in service Monday, marking the end of part of a large project affecting Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit.
Two out of the four tubes in the 116-year-old tunnel were damaged by the storm. Decades of wear and tear and saltwater seepage required significant upgrades to modernize the lines.
"The railroad we inherited was built before the generation before us, and our responsibility is to leave it safer, stronger and more reliable for the next generation," Amtrak Interim President William "Byl" Herrmann said.
The East River Tunnel is a critical part of the Northeast Corridor and is used by more than 450 trains daily, according to transportation officials.
The four tunnel tubes connect Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn Station with Queens and the northern end of the corridor between New York and Boston.
The $1.6 billion project started in May 2025. Crews completely shut down Line 2 to demolish the existing tunnel system and reconstruct it.
"The crews demolished the tunnel infrastructure back to the liner, removing 24,000 feet of bench wall and generating enough concrete to fill a football field more than 12 feet high," Herrmann said.
"The 116-year-old tunnel is now more modern, reliable and safer for Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit passengers for the next 100-plus years," transportation officials added.
Amtrak officials said they also completed aboveground work near Long Island City in Queens to make sure related systems were upgraded.
However, any relief LIRR riders will experience will be short lived. Line 1 will be closed in the fall to continue the project. Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of 2027, according to Amtrak officials. The other two lines don't require repairs.
Riders say they want the improvements but not another long wait.
"We need a facelift, yes," said Virginia Vicente of Merrick.
"They say it's 13 months, but is that actually going to be 13 months?" added Tom Meyer of Rocky Point.
