The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has announced that the manufacturing and testing of the first two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for the Hudson Tunnel Project have been completed. The announcement was made during a recent board meeting.
The TBMs will be shipped to New Jersey, where they will be assembled at the base of the Palisades in North Bergen. The components of the first machine are expected to arrive at the construction site in January, with tunneling operations scheduled to begin in spring. The second TBM is set to ship in early 2026, with its components arriving by March and tunneling expected to start in summer.
In a joint statement, Alicia Glen, New York GDC commissioner and co-chair; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, New Jersey GDC commissioner and co-chair; and Tony Coscia, GDC Amtrak commissioner and vice chair said: “We are on the verge of a new phase of the Hudson Tunnel Project. When the two tunnel-boring machines that were manufactured this year begin their journey under the Palisades, it will represent a major step forward for the project. We could not have reached this point without the support of our partners in Washington and the states. We look forward to continuing to work together to deliver the most urgent passenger rail project in the country in the new year.”
GDC CEO Thomas Prendergast commented: “Completing the factory acceptance tests for the first set of tunnel boring machines is a significant milestone. These TBMs are not standard construction equipment. They are massive, highly complex machines that have been custom-built for the Hudson Tunnel Project. Producing them is an impressive feat in-and-of itself. The two years of work that our teams on the ground in New Jersey have done to prepare for the arrival of the TBMs is just as impressive. Reaching this milestone on schedule sends a clear message: GDC is delivering as promised, and we will continue to deliver in the years ahead.”
The two TBMs will each construct about one mile of new rail tunnel beneath New Jersey’s side of the Hudson River by simultaneously boring parallel tubes while installing concrete liners behind them. Each machine is expected to build approximately 30 feet of tunnel per day.
Factory acceptance testing for these machines concluded recently—the first machine passed its test in September while testing for its counterpart finished earlier this month.
Once shipped from their respective ports—Port Elizabeth and Baltimore—the components will be transported by truck to North Bergen for assembly and further testing over three months before operations commence.
The GDC also provided updates on five active construction projects related to HTP during its board meeting.
