Hudson Tunnel Digging Work to Start as Boring Machines Ready

Work to start digging a new Hudson Tunnel is set to begin this spring as two tunnel boring machines custom-built for the project are on their way to New Jersey.

The new rail tunnel, called the Gateway program, will serve Amtrak and New Jersey Transit and provide a vital link between the Garden State and Manhattan, as the existing tube is more than 100 years old. The Gateway Development Commission, which is overseeing the project, said Monday that the first of the new machines will arrive in January. That will mark a milestone as they will begin the first digging work after years of delays to excavate a new tunnel.