Closing Hudson River Amtrak Tunnels 'Can't Be Done,' Despite Damage

Amtrak in a new report said it needs to overhaul the tunnels that flooded during Sandy. And it will likely close the East River tunnels one at a time to do that.

But it added that it can't close either of the Hudson tunnels until an additional tunnel is built.

Tom Wright, executive director of the Regional Plan Association, an urban research and advocacy organization, said that's because closing the Hudson tunnels would have dire consequences for the region.

“That just can’t be done. And the Northeast Corridor can’t be shut down. New Jersey and New York need the connections under the Hudson River. And before we can do any major maintenance and repairs in those tunnels, we need new tunnels put in,” Wright said.

He spoke with WNYC’s Amy Eddings.