(The following article by Ron Marsico was posted on the Newark Star-Ledger website on July 20.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Efforts to ease rail congestion into and out of Midtown Manhattan for NJ Transit riders took a significant step forward yesterday, but real relief remains at least a decade away.
Gov. Jon Corzine lauded a decision by the Federal Transit Administration to allow preliminary engineering to begin on a second trans-Hudson rail tunnel between New Jersey and Midtown.
But while the FTA’s approval likely means future federal funding for the $6 billion project, there is no guarantee yet and the project is slated for completion in 2016 at the earliest.
“For those of us who have believed in this project from the beginning, today is a very special day,” Corzine said in a statement. He called construction of a second cross-Hudson River passenger rail tunnel to Midtown Manhattan “critical to the region’s growth and mobility.”
New Jersey officials and regional transportation advocates consider the second tunnel essential to help meet increasing NJ Transit ridership between the Garden State and Midtown, which is projected to double to 100,000 rush-hour passengers daily by 2015.
Congestion has plagued rail commuters for years, in part because priority for the limited tracks into and out of the city is given to riders of Amtrak, which owns the line.
Adding another inbound and outbound track to augment the existing century-old, two-track tunnel has been on the drawing board for decades. Officials say the new tunnel will not only double capacity and shave commuting time off the trip, but will spur construction jobs and help improve the region’s long-term economic health.
Supporters called the FTA’s announcement a positive sign that the federal government eventually intends to commit funding to the project.
“It puts you in the running,” said Jeremy Soffin, a spokesman for the Regional Plan Association. “And if your project is highly ranked — as this one will be — then you’re pretty much guaranteed a share of the (federal) funding.”
Support for the tunnel from New York officials also has grown in recent years, with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer — the front-runner in the Empire State’s gubernatorial race — the latest to announce his backing in May.
Corzine and Kris Kolluri, New Jersey’s transportation commissioner, said NJ Transit is poised in early August to award a contract for the preliminary engineering work.
“The governor has said he wants to go to construction in 2009 and this brings us one step closer to reality,” Kolluri said, noting that completion is expected in 2016, barring unforeseen delays.
Kolluri said the preliminary engineering work is expected to cost $90 million and take 18 months to finish.
“We’re going to do this simultaneous with a final environmental impact statement,” the commissioner added.
The preliminary engineering work will include finalizing track alignment, determining how best to build the tunnel and coordinating efforts with Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to minimize passenger disruptions during construction, according to officials.
Another key component of the overall project is creation of a new rail terminal for NJ Transit passengers under 34th Street in Manhattan, located next to Penn Station.
Earlier this year, Corzine committed $500 million of state funds to the entire project. Anthony Coscia, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a major project proponent, has said he wants the bistate agency to commit as much as $2 billion to the eventual cost of the new tunnel.
Soffin, the RPA spokesman, hailed the FTA’s decision.
“Time savings (for riders) is a small part of it. The big thing is you’re doubling capacity into New York,” Soffin said. “In terms of the economy, that’s huge. The benefits of this are tremendous.”
Soffin predicted, “The New Jersey commuting experience of getting into Manhattan is going to become considerably easier and more pleasant.”