North River Tunnels
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| North River Tunnels | |
|---|---|
| Carries | Amtrak Northeast Corridor and NJ Transit |
| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Weehawken, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York City |
| Maintained by | Amtrak |
| Opening date | 1910 |
The North River Tunnels carry Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and New Jersey Transit rail lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1910 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the tunnel allowed the Pennsylvania Railroad to access Manhattan.
The tunnel's western portal is in North Bergen, on the western edge of the New Jersey Palisades near the eastern terminus of Route 3 at U.S. Route 1/9 (). It travels far underground through North Bergen, Union City, and Weehawken.
As of 2006, the tunnel operates near 100 percent capacity during peak hours. There are a total of two tubes; the northern tube is for trains traveling westbound (to New Jersey), while the southern tube carries trains going eastbound (to Manhattan). Since there are only two tubes (one in each direction), trains have to wait to cross into Manhattan. Sometimes, this can cause delays, especially if a train breaks down in the tunnel. During peak hours, one train can go through the tunnel every 2-3 minutes.
Plans are underway to build a new tunnel to connect New Jersey to New York. This proposed tunnel would be called the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel (or THE Tunnel), whose construction costs are estimated to be almost $2 billion.[citation needed] However, a recent article in The New York Times on August 12, 2006, stated that the new tunnel is expected to cost now approximately $7.2 billion.
[edit] See also
- Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel - The new NY/NJ Hudson River train tunnel being planned that will be built alongside the North River Tunnels to expand train service into Manhattan.
- Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad
- East River Tunnels
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