East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Is Underway
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Work vehicle entering Line 1 over the weekend.
Caption and image courtesy of Amtrak
NEW YORK CITY - Amtrak began its first long-term track outage for the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project.
RT&S has reported in the past on the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation, or ERT. Now, Amtrak states it has begun its first long-term track outage, making it the largest planned outage in recent Amtrak history. The tubes have continued to deteriorate since 2012 when Superstorm Sandy hit the area and damaged Line 1 and Line 2. Once rehabilitated, the tunnels will be useful for another 100 years of service. Below show the tunnels in 2012 (left) and currently (right), courtesy of Amtrak.
Crews will demolish the existing tunnel systems “down to concrete liners, then [reconstruct] the tunnels with modern, state-of-the-art tunnel systems.” Amtrak states the work will take place in one tunnel at a time to allow for maximum efficiency. Work will begin on Line 2 on June 2nd. Three of the four tunnels will still remain open for Amtrak, LIRR, and NJ TRANSIT. If any emergencies occur, Amtrak says its crews are “on standby throughout the Penn Station complex to respond quickly.”
Line 1 preparation activities were performed in the months preceding the closure that began over Memorial Day weekend. These include “repairing damaged sections of bench wall, sealing the tunnel liner to prevent water infiltration, replacing third rail, and making signal and power upgrades throughout Lines 1, 3, and 4.”
Mitigation work is completed in Lines 3 and 4, and crews are using the first ten days of the service closure to finish up mitigations “focused on final ‘hardening’ of the infrastructure in Line 1.” This work includes relocating power cable and completing block tie replacements.
Previously, Governor Hochul met with MTA leadership to discuss the minimization of impacts to customers throughout the duration of the project. Some of the commitments made to ensure this include a detailed plan “to provide around-the-clock engineering coverage during the outage, more frequent inspections as track access time permits, strategically positioned rescue equipment, and more.” Amtrak, LIRR, and NJ TRANSIT will reportedly monitor service during the project and make modifications as needed.
Additional Reading
- From Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan on May 27th: “Amtrak Board Meeting Leaves Much to be Desired.”
- NY Gov. Hochul Calls for Amtrak to Reevaluate its East River Tunnel Construction Plans on April 30th
- Amtrak Issues Statement on East River Tunnels Project on May 1st
