Gateway Project/New York Penn Station capacity improvement

[Andrew]

Remember this is a tier 1 EIS. What some are asking for is generally seen as a tier 2 issue.

There will be many tier 2 EISs that are and will happen. Already in progress are the Gateway and B&P tunnel ones for example.

I thought that the "Hudson Tunnel Project" EIS does not begin until Spring of 2016.

 

[afigg]

The politicians are moving more quickly on this than I would have expected. It has been "leaked" to the press that a deal has been reached and that an announcement will be made soon about the formation of the Gateway Development Corporation to oversee the project.

Capital New York, aka Politico New York, has some details: Governors, senators roll out cross-Hudson rail plan. Excerpts:

A bistate corporation agreed to by Governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie as well as U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Charles Schumer will begin work on a badly needed cross-Hudson rail tunnel, according to an official summary of a deal obtained by POLITICO.

As first reported by POLITICO Friday, the corporation will be governed by two members of the Port Authority, a representative from the federal Department of Transportation and a representative of Amtrak. It will be called the Gateway Development Corporation.

One of the representatives from the Port Authority will chair the board and the Amtrak representative will serve as vice chair, according the deal summary. The Port Authority will provide the group with office space, administrative staff, IT staff, and logistical support.

The first task before the board will be to establish its financing mechanisms. The next will be to take the first steps toward designing and getting permits for the project.

So the Port Authority will be heavily involved. Presumably the price that Christie and Cuomo demanded in return for the states and the PANYNJ putting up 50% of the cost. (whatever that cost ends up as). The compromise is to set up a separate oversight and management board that hopefully will stay focused on the project and not get too loaded up with political appointees, cronies, and steering contracts to political favorites.

 

[jis]

I bet the two representatives from PANYNJ, one will be appointed by the NJ Governor and the other by the NY Governor. That is the mechanism for providing state's representation in the governance. The other two are basically the federal government and the current owner of the property. Makes sense. It does keep the PANYNJ from gaining direct control which would have been the death knell of the whole thing. OTOH, doing it within the PANYNJ umbrella avoids the need for further Congressional action. It is something that the two Governors can do without going back to the Congress for additional legislation.

 

[west point]

A separate organization to build the new tunnel bores sounds OK. But once completed ownership should go to Amtrak. We do not need another bureaucracy to complicate going under the Hudson. Two separate agencies ? One too many.

 

[jis]

A separate organization to build the new tunnel bores sounds OK. But once completed ownership should go to Amtrak. We do not need another bureaucracy to complicate going under the Hudson. Two separate agencies ? One too many.

According to the press release

The corporation will own the new tunnel and enter into operating agreements with railroads to use it.

So clearly Amtrak will not own the new tunnels, and the disposition of the old tunnels is not mentioned and is probably YTBD. I wonder what the disposition of the additional two tracks from the tunnel portals as well as the Portal Bridges will be. At present unknown as far as I can tell.

 

[jis]

Remember this is a tier 1 EIS. What some are asking for is generally seen as a tier 2 issue.

There will be many tier 2 EISs that are and will happen. Already in progress are the Gateway and B&P tunnel ones for example.

I thought that the "Hudson Tunnel Project" EIS does not begin until Spring of 2016.

Yeah. For Gateway (tunnel part), the lead agency has been identified so far, that being NJT, and so far it has no funding to do anything.

 

[Andrew]

Remember this is a tier 1 EIS. What some are asking for is generally seen as a tier 2 issue.

There will be many tier 2 EISs that are and will happen. Already in progress are the Gateway and B&P tunnel ones for example.

I thought that the "Hudson Tunnel Project" EIS does not begin until Spring of 2016.

Yeah. For Gateway (tunnel part), the lead agency has been identified so far, that being NJT, and so far it has no funding to do anything.

The Transportation Trust Fund is expected to pay for the EIS.

The projected completion date for the EIS is September of 2018. see: http://www.njtransit.com/AdminTemp/board_agenda_10-14-2015_final.pdf

 

[jis]

They will fail to meet that date if they expect the NJ TTF to pay for it. Dreaming is good though

 

[afigg]

The Transportation Trust Fund is expected to pay for the EIS.

The projected completion date for the EIS is September of 2018. see:

The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund is getting close to being "broke". That is, it will not have any funds to take on new projects. NY Times articles from May that I found with a quick google search: New Jersey Faces a Transportation Funding Crisis, With No Clear Solution.

The solution is actually quite simple: NJ needs to raise its gasoline tax, now the 49th lowest out of all 50 states, to pay for road maintenance and transportation projects. But that is easier said than done given the political situation in NJ. The weak link in the agreement with NJ and NY to each contribute 25% of the funding and the federal government & Amtrak the remaining 50% is NJ. I think the state will come through with the funds because NJ has too much at stake, but it could be touch and go at times, given how many years the Gateway project is going to take which means it will last through multiple Governors and leaders of the state legislature.

 

[Andrew]

The Transportation Trust Fund is expected to pay for the EIS.

The projected completion date for the EIS is September of 2018. see:

The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund is getting close to being "broke". That is, it will not have any funds to take on new projects. NY Times articles from May that I found with a quick google search: New Jersey Faces a Transportation Funding Crisis, With No Clear Solution.

The solution is actually quite simple: NJ needs to raise its gasoline tax, now the 49th lowest out of all 50 states, to pay for road maintenance and transportation projects. But that is easier said than done given the political situation in NJ. The weak link in the agreement with NJ and NY to each contribute 25% of the funding and the federal government & Amtrak the remaining 50% is NJ. I think the state will come through with the funds because NJ has too much at stake, but it could be touch and go at times, given how many years the Gateway project is going to take which means it will last through multiple Governors and leaders of the state legislature.

It is possible that New Jersey will raise it's gas tax and lower the estate tax. There have been many discussions that have occurred recently regarding tax reform in New Jersey.

I do agree that this week's announcement about a new organization to build the tunnels is a very good thing to hear!

 

[jis]

With more than 60% of the state voters polling against a gas tax rise and a Governor promising a veto that cannot be overridden in the Senate because there are not enough votes to do so..... Good luck!

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/11/15/after-earnings-from-bond-sale-are-spent-transportation-trust-fund-will-be-broke/

My bet is they will legislate issuing some more stop gap bonds increasing the overall debt and kick the can down the road until this Governor exits stage right. It is now almost certain that this won't happen by the end of 2016 or early 2017. Hopefully they will be able to eke out the few million that is needed to continue the EIS work out of the proceeds of the bond sales to temporarily replenish the TTF.

 

[Andrew]

With more than 60% of the state voters polling against a gas tax rise and a Governor promising a veto that cannot be overridden in the Senate because there are not enough votes to do so..... Good luck!

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/11/15/after-earnings-from-bond-sale-are-spent-transportation-trust-fund-will-be-broke/

My bet is they will legislate issuing some more stop gap bonds increasing the overall debt and kick the can down the road until this Governor exits stage right. It is now almost certain that this won't happen by the end of 2016 or early 2017. Hopefully they will be able to eke out the few million that is needed to continue the EIS work out of the proceeds of the bond sales to temporarily replenish the TTF.

What does "this" refer to?

It sounds like more progress is being made with regarding the Gateway Project: http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/11/port_authority_discusses_agency_it_would_lead_to_b.html

 

[afigg]

The New York Times has an update on the Gateway plans with additional info on the projected costs. Transportation Secretary Foxx, FRA head Sarah Feinberg, Joe Boardman and Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia took a tour in the American View theater/inspection car of one of the Hudson River tunnels on Wednesday. That would have been an interesting train ride to be on.

NYT: Amtrak Says New York Region’s Rail Projects Could Cost Up to $23.9 Billion

Excerpts:

Amtrak officials on Wednesday provided the most detailed public account yet for the projected costs of building a new Hudson River rail tunnel and improving other critical parts of the rail infrastructure in the New York region.

The project, known as the Gateway program, has been championed by Anthony Foxx, the federal transportation secretary, who on Wednesday visited the deteriorating rail tunnel that runs between New York and New Jersey.

In a presentation to Mr. Foxx, Amtrak officials said the entire project could cost as much as $23.9 billion, with the largest share of about $7.7 billion going toward building the new Hudson tunnel and repairing the existing tunnel. The project includes a host of other elements, including expanding Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan at an estimated cost of $5.9 billion, and replacing rail bridges in New Jersey.

....

After Mr. Foxx toured the tunnel on Wednesday, he said he would continue to advance the plans during the final year of the Obama administration.

“I’d like to have a financing package that is solid enough by the time we walk out of the door that everyone has the certainty that the project will happen, and the funding set aside to get it done,” he said.

....

The expansion of Penn Station, by adding tracks to the south, could start in 2024 and be completed by 2030, according to the presentation. Work to replace the Portal Bridge in New Jersey, an old swing bridge that often causes delays, could start next year. There was no timeline provided for the Hudson tunnel project, but Amtrak officials have said that work could take about a decade.

Meanwhile Gov. Cuomo is pushing his $100 billion transportation infrastructure plan with big plans for NY Penn Station but nary a mention of the new Hudson River tunnels or the rest of Gateway. Benjamin Kabek of the Second Avenue Sagas blog site posted his (latest) take on Cuomo's big spending plans: Amtrak stays focused on Gateway while Cuomo dilly-dallies with Penn plans

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

About the Gateway Project through New York Penn, I know they'll be constructing new tunnels under the Hudson River, but the question is, will they build tunnels that can handle cars as high as autoracks or superliners?

It certainly would be nice if they built tunnels to handle bilevels.

Also, in the future, will they do any upgrades on the NEC to handle bilevels, such as raising the catenaries a little?

 

[afigg]

About the Gateway Project through New York Penn, I know they'll be constructing new tunnels under the Hudson River, but the question is, will they build tunnels that can handle cars as high as autoracks or superliners?

It certainly would be nice if they built tunnels to handle bilevels.

Also, in the future, will they do any upgrades on the NEC to handle bilevels, such as raising the catenaries a little?

The issue of the clearance in the proposed tunnels has been discussed previously in this thread. The short answer is that while the new tunnels may provide somewhat greater clearance than the existing tunnels, there is little to no benefit in providing clearance for Superliners or autoracks. NY Penn Station can't handle the higher clearance cars, so where would the higher clearance cars go? I expect there are numerous other clearance chokepoints on the northern NEC such as the Newark station, overpass bridges and so on. Again, search and/or read back in this thread for discussions of the tunnel clearance issues.

 

[jis]

There already are bilevels that fit the Hudson Tunnel loading gauge that operate through them every day. Indeed there are more such bilevel trains than single level trains that operate through the Hudson Tunnels these days.

 

[CCC1007]

...that are not useable for long distance routes.

 

[jis]

...that are not useable for long distance routes.

Depends. Europeans successfully run such on sleeper service quite successfully. Just because it has not been done yet does not imply it is impossible. But either way who cares? Single level LD trains work just fine and 99% of the world's heavily used and successful LD trains are single level.

 

[afigg]

It was announced on Wednesday that $70 million is being allocated to the EIS and PE work for the Gateway Project. $35 million from Amtrak, $35 million to come from the Port Authority.

nj.com: New Hudson River rail tunnels take big step forward. Excerpt:

A project to build new Hudson River rail tunnels will get a $70 million boost from Amtrak and the Port Authority for preliminary work, while federal officials agreed to fast track an environmental review to buy time and save money.

Federal officials, including U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ, the Port Authority and New York and New Jersey officials, made the announcement Wednesday, which marks the first major progress on the tunnel project since Govs. Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo announced a funding agreement between the states and federal government.

Transportation agencies are in a race against time to start the $20 billion Gateway Project before one of two 106-year-old tunnels has to be taken out of service to repair flood damage, which would severely disrupt commuter rail service.

"This is huge. It is a significant step," Booker said. "We're farther down the field than I thought we'd be last summer."

A good step, but only a small one compared to the projected $20 billion needed for the project. And $20 billion is a rough estimate at best. (If not a WAG*).

* WAG is an engineering management term for a Wild Ass Guess on what a project or system will cost to design, build, and get operational. At this stage of the project, I don't see how the $20 billion figure can be anything other than a WAG.

 

[jis]

Fortunately the $20 billion is over 15 or 20 years depending on how the project is paced, and it includes way more than just the tunnel and the station.

 

[afigg]

Next City has a good article on the history of the regional politics and recent negotiations/political gamesmanship that took place to reach the agrrement on the Gateway Project: What One Really Expensive Tunnel Means to U.S. Train Travel.

A few excerpts:

Here’s a story about how business gets done at New York’s Penn Station. In the late 1970s, the escalator connecting Tracks 15 and 16 to the concourse sat broken for more than four years because Amtrak, which owns the complex, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, whose Long Island Rail Road trains terminate there, could not agree who should pay to fix it.

The escalator had already stopped working when Amtrak was granted ownership of Penn Station in 1976. The two agencies squabbled for several years over how the $82,000 repair cost should be divided. An initial agreement split the cost 82-18. Amtrak didn’t think that was fair. A subsequent study determined Amtrak should pay 85 percent. In January 1979, the two sides agreed on an 80-20 funding split.

On Friday, March 23, the escalator sprang to life. The next day it broke again.

The Democratic leaders of the New Jersey State Senate have said that the Port Authority should make Gateway funding its top priority. Responsibility for executing the project lies with the bi-state organization, which has a substantial cash flow of its own. In December, the authority enacted its final toll hike of a multi-year escalation. The cash toll on the George Washington Bridge for a car or motorcycle is $15.

But the Port Authority has already committed bridge and tunnel toll revenues to its own capital plan, which includes some crucial transportation improvements (rebuilding the Goethals Bridge and repairing the GW Bridge’s cables) and some less urgent expenditures, like a $1.5 billion extension of the PATH train to connect Wall Street to Newark Airport. Another increase is not on the table, the agency said in December. And while most experts believe that Port Authority is perfectly positioned to handle a project of this nature, the agency is no stranger to cost overruns and has been plagued by corruption scandals. “A lot has to happen for the public to feel that this is an agency that is spending money wisely and can get projects done on time,” Vanterpool says.

 

[B757Guy]

Interesting stuff... I wonder if/when any of these critical infrastructure items will get built. I use the NEC as part of my commute to EWR for work, and have become friendly with a few of the conductors, and none of them seem to think any of this will ever happen within their career.

 

[Andrew]

The Port Authority is looking into receiving federal grants for the Manhattan Tunnel Box and the Portal Bridge Replacement Project in New Jersey. The link here is from a recent Port Authority Press Release regarding updates pertaining to the Hudson Tunnel Project:

http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2388

Press Release Article
PRINT
GATEWAY PROGRAM PARTNERS MOVE CRITICAL REGIONAL TRANSIT AND RAIL PROJECT FORWARDDate: Mar 23, 2016
Press Release Number: 41-2016


$70 million allocated for preliminary engineering, a federal pledge to streamline environmental reviews and finalization of development corporation structure.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Amtrak, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, together with NJ TRANSIT, and with the support of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced a series of concrete steps to move the Gateway Program forward.

- The Gateway Program’s Hudson Tunnel Project to construct a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River will receive $70 million in funding for critical preliminary engineering work, with $35 million in federal funding coming from Amtrak and $35 million from the Port Authority, subject to the consideration and approval of each party’s Boards, in order to expedite and accelerate environmental review and permitting for the Hudson Tunnel Project.

- U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that the department will commit the necessary resources and take steps to accelerate federal environmental reviews and permitting for the Hudson Tunnel Project. Inclusion of the project on the President’s Federal Infrastructure Projects Dashboard is expected and will help ensure swift and thorough completion of the environmental process. NJ TRANSIT already has issued a formal notice-to-proceed for consulting services funded by Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT to help support the process

- The Port Authority, Amtrak, the U.S. Department of Transportation and NJ TRANSIT have agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding setting forth an interim framework for coordination among the parties to advance the Program, including establishment of an executive committee to coordinate activities and specific working groups focusing on environmental permitting, construction and preliminary engineering, funding and financing, rail operations, and governance matters.

- The local agencies also announced their intent to apply for competitive federal grants in the coming months – including those recently authorized by the FAST Act in December 2015 - to advance the Gateway Program. Representatives expect to pursue funding in the coming months from the U.S. Department of Transportation from grant programs such as TIGER, FASTLANE and New Starts. These grants would help fund Gateway’s projects including the Hudson Tunnel Project, Portal Bridge replacement project in New Jersey, and the completion of the Hudson Yards tunnel right-of-way preservation project in Manhattan, which has already received $235 million in federal funds. A $16 million TIGER grant has previously been awarded to NJ TRANSIT to help replace the century-old Portal Bridge which long has been a chokepoint for travel along the Northeast Corridor. NJ TRANSIT will solicit contract proposals for early construction work in the second quarter of 2016.

- The project participants announced today that the Port Authority, Amtrak, and USDOT are taking steps towards finalizing the structure and form of a development corporation to oversee the entire Program. The parties are structuring the new entity to maximize flexibility and eligibility for the full spectrum of federal funding and financing programs, as well as potential public-private partnership structures in order to accomplish the various aspects of the Gateway Program.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on authorizing $35 million for preliminary engineering for the Hudson Tunnel Project at its March 24 meeting. Amtrak has also pledged $35 million for the preliminary engineering work which will support the environmental and planning efforts for the tunnel project. The new tunnel will allow for the closure and rehabilitation of the existing 106-year old tunnel that was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The new two-track, trans-Hudson rail tunnel will provide a vital backup to the current century-old tunnel.

This financial commitment will help build momentum and expedite review and permitting for the rehabilitation of the existing tunnel and creation of the new tunnel. The Hudson Tunnel Project is a major priority of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, Amtrak, the Port Authority, and NJ TRANSIT.

The 50/50 contribution from Amtrak and the Port Authority for preliminary engineering is consistent with the overall framework announced in November. Following calls to action by Secretary Foxx, Governors Christie and Cuomo and Senators Booker and Schumer, the non-federal agencies have been pursuing a 50/50 framework between federal and local funding. A development corporation will be responsible for developing a specific funding and financing plan for the Program.

The Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners is also expected to be briefed on steps being taken towards the formation of a development corporation that will oversee and manage the Gateway Program. Consistent with the framework outlined in the November 12, 2015 press release issued by Governors Christie and Cuomo, and Senators Booker and Schumer, the corporation’s board would consist of representatives from Amtrak, Commissioners of the Port Authority as representatives of the States of New York and New Jersey, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Gateway Program will deliver a set of rail infrastructure projects between Newark, NJ and New York City. Major projects include the construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project including the rehabilitation of the existing rail tunnel, replacement of the Portal and Sawtooth bridges in New Jersey, the Hudson Yards tunnel right-of-way preservation project, and expansion of New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station, and Secaucus Junction. The Program will improve resiliency and – when completed – is expected to significantly increase capacity for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT along the busy Northeast Corridor line.

New York and New Jersey representatives also are expected to utilize federal low-interest loan opportunities as another way to meet their share of the Program’s cost. Later this year, preliminary filings are expected to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s credit programs, which will allow for accelerated funding decisions on various projects in the Gateway Program.

 

[Andrew]

New Hudson Tunnel Website. Check it out:

http://www.hudsontunnelproject.com/index.html

 

[WoodyinNYC]

New Hudson Tunnel Website. Check it out:

http://www.hudsontunnelproject.com/index.html

That's a fascinating document!

Thanks for posting it, Andrew.

Apparently to appease the haters, this is no longer an Amtrak project. The FRA is running the show. It is all about restoring the North River Tunnels damaged by Sandy.

And WE PROMISE that it does not increase capacity for Amtrak trains. For real.

While the Proposed Action addresses maintenance and resilience of the NEC Hudson River crossing, it would not increase rail capacity. At the same time, the Proposed Action would not preclude other future projects to expand rail capacity in the area. Accordingly, while the Proposed Action may also be an element of a larger program to expand rail capacity, it would meet an urgent existing need and will be evaluated as a separate project from any larger initiative. Ultimately, an increase in service between Newark Penn Station and PSNY cannot be realized until other substantial infrastructure capacity improvements are built in addition to a new Hudson River rail tunnel. These improvements will be the subject of one or more separate design, engineering, and appropriate environmental reviews.

My bold added.

The new Portal Bridge, adding tracks Newark-PSNY (as they call it), and any expansion of

Penn Station such as Penn South are separate. So CongressCritters will get a chance down the line to vote against anything that might help Acelas, the "Soviet style" Amtrak, or any form of HSR.

If that's what it takes to get the Tunnel Boring Machines going, we'll take the deal and worry about paying for capacity improvements in a few years.

edited to fix spelling 5/17/16