NEW YORK — Amtrak will shut down one tube of the East River Tunnel for major rehabilitation as planned on Friday night, but has agreed to some measures sought by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during the project, Hochul said in a statement following a meeting today (May 22, 2025) with Amtrak and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials.
Hochul had previously requested that the passenger operator modify its plans to avoid a full shutdown [see “New York governor asks Amtrak …,” Trains News Wire, April 29, 2025]. Amtrak President Roger Harris responded by strongly asserting the existing plan was the best option [see “Amtrak president says current plan …,” News Wire, May 1, 2025].
“While I continue to believe this work could be accomplished without a full shutdown,” Hochul said today, “I understand the importance of moving this project forward. That is why I have asked — and Amtrak has agreed — to incorporate the actual experience of the first tunnel shutdown, including the use of third-party consultants, to ensure the best approach to the second shutdown.” The passenger company has agreed to “enhanced inspections, additional shift crews and the development of an operational response plan to help mitigate potential impact on commuters throughout the duration of the project,” according to the statement.
Amtrak will also work to address capacity needs between New York City and the rest of the state, Hochul said. The company had previously committed to adding cars to some Empire Service trains, but that plan was upended when the loss of the Horizon car fleet required redeployment of Amfleet cars from the Northeast to other parts of the Amtrak system [see “Amtrak continues effort …,” News Wire, March 29, 2025]. In her earlier letter, Hochul suggested Amtrak should obtain commuter railcars to help fill that gap; in his response, Harris said Amtrak was “eager to partner with the MTA” on that suggestion.
The governor said she had asked Amtrak to suspend its dynamic ticket pricing — which raises prices based on demand — for the trips within the state during the shutdown. Hochul’s statement did not indicate that Amtrak had agreed, and the company made no mention of that topic in its own statement on the meeting.
“During this productive meeting, Amtrak reassured the Governor and MTA of our commitment to minimizing impacts to passengers throughout the project,” the Amtrak statement reads. “This includes our detailed plan to provide around-the-clock engineering coverage during the outage, more frequent inspections as track access time permits, strategically positioned rescue equipment, and more.” The company said it would work with the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit to “closely monitor service during construction and make modifications to the plan, if needed, to ensure reliability of passenger service while fixing this critical infrastructure.
“It is important to all of us this project is a success so that all passengers, including Long Island and upstate New York residents and travelers, continue to have strong, reliable, on-time service now and in the future.”
The project, to address damage to two of the tunnel’s four tubes sustained during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, will see those tubes repaired during a pair of single-tube shutdowns, with work expected to continue through 2027. More on the project is available at the Amtrak website.
