New Hudson River Tunnel Gets $$$
Posted by Glenn on July 28, 2006 - 8:10am in The Oil Drum: Local
Like many New Yorkers, I don't start to believe that something is going to happen until lots of money is actually put behind them by the long list of Federal, State, City and Quasi-governmental "authorities" that must get involved in any major public works project. That's why today I'm starting to believe more and more than NJ Transit's plan for a new Hudson River Rail Tunnel, following the Port Authority's approval of $2 Billion for it.
The proposed Hudson River Commuter tunnel would essentially double the number of trains and people that could enter Manhattan from New Jersey. This would allow NJ Transit to bypass rail lines on Amtrak's NE Corridor line. It would significantly increase speed and comfort of commutes by rail from New Jersey and stimulate more people to ride the train rather than drive to Manhattan.
The key benefit according to Access to the Region's Core is:
Improvements in New Jersey to provide a one-seat ride to NJ TRANSIT riders on the Raritan Valley, Main/Bergen, and Pascack Valley Lines. These lines collectively serve central and northern New Jersey as well as Orange and Rockland counties in New York.
That would really connect up the city to Northern Jersey and other Suburban communities, which could also spur expansion of the light rail network up there. If completed on the current timeline (Don't hold your breath) it would be ready for service in 2016.