Tunnel boring has begun on the Hudson Tunnel Project, the first new rail crossing under the Hudson River since the North River Tunnel entered service in 1910. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) says the project remains on target for completion in 2035, when it will restore long-term resiliency and reliability for New Jersey Transit and Amtrak riders on the regional and national rail network.

The project consists of three components: construction of a two-track Hudson River rail tunnel between Bergen Palisades in New Jersey and New York Penn Station in Manhattan; completion of the third and final segment connecting the new tunnel into Penn Station; and rehabilitation of the existing North River Tunnel, which sustained significant damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The first tunnel boring machine has started digging, with a second machine set to launch soon. Both machines will bore approximately one mile through hard rock beneath the Palisades Cliffs in New Jersey to the Hudson County Access Shaft on the border of Weehawken and Hoboken.

According to the GDC, the machines will be removed via the access shaft and replaced with a second pair that will build the tunnel section under the Hudson River itself. The two hard-rock TBMs are expected to advance roughly 30 feet of tunnel per day, including scheduled maintenance pauses. They should reach the access shaft approximately one year after launching.

Schiavone Lane Dragados JV is carrying out the first phase of boring under its contract for the Palisades Tunnel Project construction package. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is managing delivery of that package in partnership with the GDC, the special-purpose entity New York and New Jersey created in 2019 to build the Gateway Program projects.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill tied the milestone to the project's projected economic and service outcomes. "I was proud to be called the 'tunnel-obsessed Congresswoman,' and as Governor, I will keep fighting until this tunnel is built, so 100,000 jobs will be delivered and millions of New Jersey commuters and travelers finally have the reliable service they deserve," she said.

GDC CEO Tom Prendergast framed the start of boring as both a beginning and the result of years of preparation. "Today we mark the start of boring the first new rail tunnel under the Hudson River since the North River Tunnel went into service in 1910," Prendergast said. "While we celebrate a start today, this moment also marks the culmination of years of work. We would not be here today without the hundreds of people who have poured countless hours into planning, designing and building this project. In the days, months and years ahead, we will continue to build on their hard work to deliver this critical project for the riders who are counting on us today, and the future riders who will use the tunnel for decades to come."

The 30-feet-per-day advance rate sets a measured pace for the first phase, but the full crossing depends on the second pair of machines that will take over at the Hudson County Access Shaft for the under-river section. With the first TBM now in the ground and its twin due to launch shortly, the GDC expects the hard-rock drives to reach the access shaft within about a year, keeping the 2035 completion date within reach for one of the most consequential rail capacity projects on the Northeast Corridor.