Tunnel boring for new rail connecting New York and New Jersey set to begin
A massive new machine is on site, set to begin boring the first tunnel for the Hudson Tunnel Project, which will connect New Jersey with New York's Penn Station, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.
This marks the first new tunnel underneath the Hudson River in more than 100 years; the last project of this scale was the Holland Tunnel, which opened in 1927.
The new commuter rail tunnel is expected to serve more than 200,000 daily riders between New York and New Jersey, according to officials.
Gov. Hochul, Rep. Mikie Sherrill and other local officials celebrated the milestone phase of the Gateway Tunnel Project on Monday.
Funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project was halted by the Trump administration in October of 2025, but a court ruling in June sided with New York and New Jersey, finding that the abrupt halt violated federal law.
"We fought and beat efforts from the Trump administration to halt the Gateway project and today, that dream becomes a reality, with state of the art machinery operated by expert union workers starting their journey through soil and bedrock under the Hudson to Penn Station," Hochul said.
The first tunnel boring machine was built and tested in Germany, then reassembled on site in New York City. It will begin digging after final testing is completed. A second machine will launch later, officials said. Each machine can dig about 30 feet per day.
The two new tunnel boring machines are part of a massive effort to modernize a critical rail corridor.
"The severity of storms is getting worse and worse, and that is why we are so fortunate to have this underway, this milestone accomplished," Hochul said.
The new tunnel is expected to open in 2035, according to officials.
"Finishing this project will transform our economy, creating nearly 100,000 jobs and $20 billion of economic activity from construction alone," Sherrill said.
The construction will eventually replace the current, aging North River Tunnels, which were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.