New York and New Jersey Enter New Phase in Historic Project

The Hudson Tunnel Project, expected to radically transform travel between New York and New Jersey, has entered a critical phase. While New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill gathered at a ceremony held in North Bergen, New Jersey, the start of the tunnel‑boring process for the new rail link beneath the Hudson River was announced.

A first after more than a century

The Hudson Tunnel Project, one of the most important components of the Gateway Program, is regarded as a historic step in rail transportation between New York and New Jersey.

Under the project, a new double‑tunnel rail passage will be built beneath the Hudson River. The existing North River Tunnel in the area has been in service since 1910. The new project is the first new rail tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey to be undertaken in more than a century.

Large machines will go underground

Following the ceremony in North Bergen, the first tunnel‑boring machine is scheduled to begin excavation after completing its final tests. The second large machine will join the work shortly thereafter.

Initially, two machines will advance about 1 mile beneath the Palisades cliffs in New Jersey to reach the Hudson County Access Shaft area in Weehawken. In later stages of the project, the tunnel connection beneath the Hudson River will extend all the way to Manhattan.

It concerns more than 200,000 passengers.

The completion of the project is of great importance, especially for the hundreds of thousands of passengers who travel daily between New Jersey and Manhattan.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the new rail link would enhance the reliability and resilience of the transportation system used by more than 200,000 daily passengers. Hochul highlighted that the project has long been a much‑anticipated investment.

With the new tunnel entering service, the existing North River Tunnel is also slated for comprehensive renewal. According to the current schedule of the Gateway Development Commission, the new tunnel is to open in 2035, while the rehabilitation of the old North River Tunnel is targeted for completion in 2038.

Hochul and Sherrill met in New Jersey.

The program, organized because of the historic phase, also brought together New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

Hochul viewed the project's progress as a significant transportation investment for New York and New Jersey, and the fact that work has accelerated again after earlier federal funding problems also drew attention.

The Gateway Development Commission had stated that work was temporarily suspended in February 2026 because federal funds had stopped, and that construction resumed after the funds were reallocated.

A new era in New York–New Jersey transportation.

The roughly $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project is presented as one of the United States’ largest active infrastructure investments. The project, which includes not only the new tunnel but also the renewal of existing rail infrastructure, is of critical importance for the Northeast Corridor, the country’s busiest passenger rail line.

The goal is to make the rail system between New York and New Jersey more reliable and resilient by putting the new tunnel into service and renewing the existing line.

With the giant tunnel‑boring machines in North Bergen getting underway, the new rail link beneath the Hudson River, planned for decades, has now entered one of the project's most visible phases.