The East River Tunnel, located beneath the river of the same name that separates Manhattan from Queens in New York, has reopened its Tube 2 following a comprehensive refurbishment lasting 15 months. This critical piece of infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor connects New York’s Penn Station with Queens, enabling Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and NJ TRANSIT trains to run between Manhattan and Long Island.
Amtrak has officially completed the first major phase of the refurbishment project for this 116-year-old tunnel, which opened in 1910. The works have involved the complete reconstruction of the interior of the tunnel, including the track, electrification, communications, drainage and structural elements, for 1.6 billion dollars.
The project has involved replacing more than 7,300 metres of track, 8,000 tonnes of ballast, 8,000 wooden sleepers and 15,000 cubic metres of concrete in the side walls. The tunnel, one of the busiest in the Western Hemisphere with 450 trains a day, suffered severe damage from the salt water caused by Storm Sandy in 2012.
The system consists of four separate parallel tunnels. Tunnels 1 and 2 were the most severely affected by Sandy and require complete refurbishment, whilst tunnels 3 and 4 remain operational. The second phase, which will involve Tube 1, is due to begin this autumn and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, keeping the project within budget and on schedule.