Hudson TBM assembly advances

Crews in North Bergen are now assembling the giant machines that will start digging the new Hudson River rail tunnel from New Jersey. (gothamist.com) The two tunnel-boring machines are being built on site at the base of the Palisades after arriving in pieces from Europe and U.S. ports. Each machine will be about 500 feet long and weigh roughly 1,700 tons when fully assembled. (gatewayprogram.org) Gateway Development Commission officials said the machines are custom-built for the rock on the New Jersey side and are expected to dig about 30 feet a day. The first machine was scheduled to start boring in spring 2026, with the second expected to follow in summer 2026. (gatewayprogram.org) A tunnel-boring machine works like a moving underground factory: cutters grind through rock, conveyor belts carry away debris, and the machine installs concrete lining behind itself. On this job, the first pair will carve the two parallel tunnel tubes through the Palisades toward Weehawken. (ny1.com) The assembly push comes after a funding fight earlier this year interrupted work. The Gateway Development Commission said on March 10 that construction had resumed at all sites, but warned it could pause again within two to three months if federal disbursements did not continue. (gatewayprogram.org) The tunnel itself is a $16 billion, 2.4-mile project that includes a new two-track rail crossing under the Hudson River, repairs to the older North River Tunnel, and related work in Manhattan and New Jersey. The U.S. Transportation Department says the project is part of the larger Gateway Program for the Northeast Corridor. (transportation.gov) That older North River Tunnel is the only passenger rail link between Manhattan and points west on the corridor, and it was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Federal project documents say closing its two existing tubes for repairs without a new tunnel in service would sharply reduce rail operations. (transportation.gov) The federal government has committed major financing, including up to $4.1 billion in Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loans, alongside earlier grant awards. The Transportation Department’s project page lists the planned in-service date for the full new-and-rehabbed four-tube setup as 2038. (transportation.gov) Before the boring machines can launch, workers still have to finish a short blasted approach in North Bergen and lower the machines into place. After the Palisades segment, a different set of machines will be needed for the softer material under the river itself. (ny1.com) For now, the clearest sign of progress is above ground: hundreds of parts being bolted and welded together in New Jersey so the first new Hudson rail tunnel in more than a century can start underground. (gothamist.com)