The Hudson Tunnel Project is the cornerstone of the Gateway Program, a set of passenger rail investments that will fortify rail transportation between New York and New Jersey and along the Northeast Corridor.

The Gateway Program is a suite of critical rail infrastructure projects on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Newark, New Jersey and New York Penn Station.

The NEC main line runs 457 miles from Washington, DC to Boston, connecting eight states and all of the major metro areas in the Northeast, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. It is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the country, with more than 2,000 intercity and commuter trains supporting approximately 800,000 daily passenger trips. 

The 10-mile stretch of the NEC between Newark, New Jersey, and New York Penn Station is the busiest, most congested section of the NEC. Approximately 450 trains accounting for 200,000 passenger trips traverse this section of the NEC every day.  

The Gateway Program will improve reliability and, when the entire Program is completed, expand capacity along this stretch of the NEC by replacing and updating rail infrastructure assets that, in many cases, are over 100 years old. 

Gateway Program Projects

The first phase of the Gateway Program includes three projects that are all currently under construction.

  1. The Hudson Tunnel Project is building nine miles of new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and will then rehabilitate the existing North River Tunnel.
  2. The Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Project is providing the vital link that will connect the new tunnel under the Hudson River to New York Penn Station. Sections 1 & 2 are complete, with construction on Section 3 underway.
  3. The Portal North Bridge Project is replacing the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River with a taller bridge that will not have to open and close for river traffic.

Future Gateway Program projects will include:

  • Dock Bridge Rehabilitation – The Dock Bridge, opened in 1935, is a moveable bridge that crosses the Passaic River at Newark, New Jersey. This project will convert it to a fixed bridge.
  • Harrison Fourth Track – This project will relocate a PATH track and signaling equipment to the northern side of the Northeast Corridor to accommodate a fourth mainline track for the corridor.
  • Sawtooth Bridges Replacement – This component of the Gateway Program will replace the deteriorating, two-track Sawtooth Bridges with structures carrying four Northeast Corridor through tracks.
  • Portal South Bridge – This project will build a second two-track bridge over the Hackensack River that will stand alongside the Portal North Bridge. Together, the bridges will contain four tracks to match the rest of the Northeast Corridor.
  • Secaucus Junction Capacity Expansion – This project involves expanding and reconfiguring the tracks at Secaucus Junction to support increased service.
  • Secaucus/Bergen Loop – Adding this loop will provide a “one-seat ride” to NY Penn Station for NJ TRANSIT Main, Bergen, and Pascack Valley line services and MTA Metro-North Port Jervis and Spring Valley lines to Penn Station New York.
  • Penn Station Expansion – New York Penn Station is a major bottleneck on the NEC. This project will expand the station and improve service through the addition of new tracks, platforms, railroad systems, passenger concourses, underground connections, and support services. Along with other components of the Gateway Program, this will allow additional rail capacity between New York and New Jersey.
  • NJ TRANSIT Storage Yard – This project involves building a rail yard and operational support facilities for NJ TRANSIT equipment to enable increased rail service.