Officials Tangle, and Tango, Over Funding for Trans-Hudson Tunnel

A senior Amtrak official says commuters as well as long-distance rail passengers will face even more trouble crossing the Hudson River unless another train tunnel gets built.

Stephen Gardner, Amtrak Vice President for the Northeast Corridor, told New Jersey lawmakers at a hearing in Trenton Monday that the capacity of the existing tunnel will fall by 75 percent when repairs get underway to fix damage caused by Sandy nearly three years ago. 

"The impacts would be dramatic. I know of no other viable contingency in that there's not another railway into Manhattan," he said.

The new tunnel, along with related upgrades, is estimated to cost some $14 billion.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx recently said repairs to the old tunnel and construction of a new one are among the most important infrastructure projects in the country. And he invited both Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie to meet about how to pay for it.

But Cuomo said first the feds have to come up with some cash, adding that — unlike the Tappan Zee Bridge or LaGuardia Airport — the aging rail tunnels don't belong to New York. "It's not my tunnel," he said. "It is an Amtrak tunnel that is used by Amtrak and by NJ Transit. 

Christie, who canceled construction of the ARC Tunnel, redirecting funds to to other projects, has said he would prioritize building a new trans-Hudson tunnel—if he's elected president.

On Monday evening, Foxx's office confirmed that the transportation secretary would be meeting with Senator Cory Booker and Governor Christie next Tuesday for a meeting to discuss the Gateway project.

No meeting between Foxx and Cuomo had been scheduled.