Story perspectives

Hudson Tunnel Project Starts Drilling With Two TBMs

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 2:48 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. officials began tunnel boring for the Hudson Tunnel Project in New Jersey.
Judge Jeannette Vargas restored $11 billion in federal funding on June 29 after a Trump-era freeze.
Two 1,680-ton single-shield tunnel boring machines started drilling the Palisades Cliffs, cutting about 30 feet daily.
Sen. Chuck Schumer warned the national economy could collapse without the new tunnel.

History

Historical Context

The Pennsylvania Railroad built the North River Tunnels between 1904 and 1908, opening them in late 1910 to bring trains into Manhattan’s Penn Station. Over a century later, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit are constructing the Gateway Program’s new Hudson River tunnels, approved in 2021 and slated for 2035, to double the current 24-trains-per-hour capacity.

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Story summary

U.S. officials began tunnel boring for the Hudson Tunnel Project in New Jersey.
Judge Jeannette Vargas restored $11 billion in federal funding on June 29 after a Trump-era freeze.
Two 1,680-ton single-shield tunnel boring machines started drilling the Palisades Cliffs, cutting about 30 feet daily.
Sen. Chuck Schumer warned the national economy could collapse without the new tunnel.

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