A major milestone in the Hudson Tunnel Project was reached Monday as crews in North Bergen turned on the first of two massive tunnel-boring machines that will carve out a new rail passage between New Jersey and Manhattan.
Governor Mikie Sherrill joined officials and construction crews for the launch of the machine, marking the beginning of the first new rail tunnel excavation on the New Jersey side of the Hudson crossing in more than a century.
First New Rail Tunnels Since 1910
The existing North River Tunnel opened in 1910 and remains one of the most critical rail links between New Jersey and New York City.
The Hudson Tunnel Project will add two new single-track tubes beneath the Palisades and Hudson River, while the century-old existing tunnel will later be rehabilitated.
The project is intended to improve reliability and increase rail capacity along the Northeast Corridor, one of the busiest passenger rail routes in the United States.
Massive Machines Begin Their Underground Journey
The two tunnel-boring machines, or TBMs, are launching from the Tonnelle Avenue construction site in North Bergen.
Each cutter head measures approximately 28 feet, 8 inches across, while the entire machine stretches roughly 500 feetand weighs about 1,680 tons. Each is equipped with dozens of cutting discs designed to grind through the hard rock beneath the Palisades.
The machines work like moving underground factories.
As the cutter head breaks through the rock, excavated material is carried away by conveyor, while crews simultaneously install precast concrete segments behind the machine to create the permanent tunnel lining.
About One Mile of Rock Ahead
The first tunneling phase will create roughly one mile of each of the two parallel tubes between the North Bergen portal and a large access shaft in Hudson County.
Gateway Development Commission officials previously estimated that each machine can build approximately 30 feet of tunnel per day, although work will periodically pause for maintenance and replacement of worn cutting discs.
Completing this first section of both tubes is expected to take roughly a year.
A $16 Billion Regional Infrastructure Project
The Hudson Tunnel Project is estimated at roughly $16 billion and forms the centerpiece of the broader Gateway Program connecting New Jersey and New York.
Construction is underway at multiple locations on both sides of the Hudson River.
The new tunnel is expected to enter service around 2035, after which the existing 1910 tunnel can be rehabilitated without eliminating the only current two-track rail connection beneath the river.
Critical Link for NJ Transit and Amtrak
The Hudson River crossing is used by both NJ Transit and Amtrak trains traveling to and from New York Penn Station.
The existing tunnel suffered significant saltwater damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and transportation officials have warned for years that major rehabilitation is necessary.
Building the new tubes first allows trains to continue operating while the older tunnel is repaired.
A Milestone More Than a Century in the Making
Monday’s launch represents one of the most visible steps yet in a project that has been discussed, delayed and redesigned for years.
For New Jersey commuters, the immediate impact will not be visible overnight. But beneath North Bergen, construction crews have now begun physically carving the route that is intended to reshape rail travel between New Jersey and Manhattan for decades to come.
Sources: Gateway Development Commission, Gothamist, AM New York, Hudson Tunnel Project, NJBIZ
By NJ RADAR Team