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Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Sep 28, 2026
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Michael Sol Warren / Gothamist
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Sep 28, 2026
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The biggest dig beneath the Hudson River in more than a century is finally underway.
Crews in North Bergen, New Jersey, on Monday turned on the first of two massive tunnel-boring machines that will carve out a new set of train tunnels between Manhattan and the Garden State for the first time since 1910.
The $16 billion tunnel project is the centerpiece of the larger Gateway program, which is designed to boost rail capacity and resilience for travel between New Jersey and Penn Station.
The boring machines measure 28 feet across and are equipped with dozens of discs designed to chew through the rock in the Palisades as they dig out a pair of tubes side by side.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stood in the rain of the weekend’s fading nor’easter at the bottom of a pit under Tonnelle Avenue to flip a novelty switch as the first machine began turning.
“ We deserve cutting-edge infrastructure. The current tunnel was innovative for its time when Teddy Roosevelt was president,” Sherrill said. “But anyone who's endured the hours-long delays in the current tunnel can tell you it's no longer state-of-the-art, not by a long shot. With the help of this machine, we'll finally deliver the modern, reliable infrastructure that our residents deserve.”
The existing Hudson River train tunnels connecting New Jersey to Manhattan were dug by the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1904 and 1910. The new tunnels aren’t scheduled to open for service until 2035, more than a decade after crews first began working on the project.
The boring machines will first claw their way a rough mile through the basalt Palisades, chipping away to make progress of 30 feet each day. Once they clear the Palisades, officials said they will be replaced with two other machines designed to handle the softer sediments under the Hudson River.
The boring machine is 28 feet wide, and can excavate 30 feet of earth per day.
Michael Sol Warren / Gothamist
The 500-foot-long machines are like mini factories. They carry away the debris on conveyor belts. And as they progress, they set the concrete lining that will frame the permanent tunnel. James Starace, the Gateway Development Commission’s chief of program delivery, said the digging shouldn’t disrupt life above ground.
“ The folks above shouldn't feel or see or hear anything,” Starace said.
The machine Sherrill and Hochul “turned on” Monday is technically not yet digging. A few more days of testing are still needed, but it will begin chipping away at the Palisades in earnest by Oct. 13. The second machine is still being assembled, officials said.
More than 200,000 passengers travel through the existing tunnels today, tunnels that were completed in 1910 and damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. Gateway officials have said they can’t begin repairing the old tunnels until the new ones are finished.
“ This is the most important economic artery in the body of America,” Sen. Cory Booker said. “So much flows through this area, and that's why we have fought so hard.”
The federal government has committed roughly $12 billion towards the project, and the remainder will be paid for by the two states.
President Donald Trump earlier this year attempted to revoke funding for the project, which left the work in limbo until a federal judge ordered the feds to release the money.
The Trump administration had appealed in an attempt to block the funding again, but that challenge was dropped earlier this month. Gateway officials said there has been no interruption in federal funding since the court order earlier this year.
“ We have gotten our federal reimbursements every month since March,” said Cathy Rinaldi, executive vice president of the Gateway Development Commission.
Both governors pledged to fight back against any future attempts by Trump to claw back federal funding.
“ We're not surrendering to anyone. This project must happen, and it must happen now on schedule,” Hochul said. “So get out of our way.”
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new jersey
new york city
new york state
transportation
Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
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