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Feds OK $9B Commuter Rail Tunnel

NEWARK-The FTA's sign-off opens the way for $3 billion of federal money and a late-2009 construction start.

By Eric Peterson | Updated on January 15, 2009

NEWARK-New Jersey Transit’s Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project aims to revamp the tri-state area’s commuter rail system, and the centerpiece Mass Transit Tunnel project has taken a major step forward. The Federal Transit Administration has issued a “record of decision” for the $8.7-billion tunnel, signaling that it has cleared the final environmental review process.

The agency’s approval also paves the way for as much as $3 billion in federal aid to get the tunnel done, a sum that is still being negotiated. The local $5.7-billion share of the total cost has already been lined up, including $3 billion from the Port Authority of NY/NJ and the rest from the state via NJ Transit.

“Our customers are eager for us to get started because they understand the impact of this project,” says NJ Transit executive director Richard Sarles, who projects a late-2009 construction start and a 2017 completion. “More than doubling train capacity to and from New York in peak periods translates into time savings, better service reliability, more travel options and convenience.”

“We welcome FTA’s action,” says Gov. Jon Corzine, in a statement. “By putting boots on the pavement and shovels in the dirt, this project will employ thousands and help jumpstart the economy in the present, and will pay dividends toward regional economic growth for decades to come.”

MTT will consist of two single-track tunnels that will roughly parallel the existing, 100-year-old, two-track tunnel under the Hudson River. By the numbers, the current capacity of 23 trains per hour would be more than doubled to 48 and the current load of about 170,000 passengers daily would be increased to more than 250,000 trips each workday. NJ Transit officials estimate that the increased rail capacity will eventually eliminate 22,000 automobile trips daily.

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