THE GATEWAY PROGRAM Critical Capacity Expansion to the Northeast Corridor

Home , Hackensack River, Harrison station (PATH), Manhattan West, Penn South

OVERVIEW PROGRAM SUMMARY The Gateway Program is a comprehensive program of strategic rail in- Timeline Target Completi on: 2030 frastructure improvements designed to improve current services and create new capacity that will allow the doubling of passenger trains Funding Amtrak has directed more than $300 million, into Manhatt an. The program will increase track, tunnel, bridge, and mostly from federal sources, to the Gateway stati on capacity, eventually creati ng four mainline tracks between Program since 2012. This includes approximate- Newark, New Jersey, and Penn Stati on, New York, including a new Hud- ly $74 million for planning and pre-constructi on work and $235 million to the Hudson Yards con- son River tunnel. The program will also strengthen system resiliency crete casing from federal Sandy Resiliency fund- with the modernizati on of existi ng infrastructure, and updates to the ing under the Disaster Relief Appropriati ons Act electrical system that supplies power to the roughly 450 daily trains of 2013. using this segment of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. Partners Amtrak is seeking to collaborate with all potenti al users of the future capacity provided by WHY IS THE GATEWAY PROGRAM NEEDED? Gateway, and will engage with local, regional, nati onal, and private partners as the program The Northeast Corridor (NEC), connecti ng Washington, DC and Boston, develops. MA, is at or near capacity at many locati ons, but nowhere is the de- Status Constructi on is underway to preserve the fu- mand on the existi ng rail system greater than in Penn Stati on, New ture potenti al pathway of the Gateway tunnel York and its associated infrastructure. The existi ng, 105-year-old rail through Hudson Yards, west of Penn Stati on. A tunnel into midtown Manhatt an – the only intercity passenger rail System Level Design study was recently com- crossing into New York City from New Jersey – operates today at 95 pleted; Program Development is now underway. percent capacity during rush hour, creati ng a severe bott leneck that An environmental impact statement for the limits NEC train volume across the enti re rail corridor. Trains and sta- Gateway Tunnel Resiliency Project could begin ti ons are currently severely overcrowded at peak periods, and this will as early at Fall 2015. worsen as demand for service is projected to increase signifi cantly by 2030. Additi onally, much of the existi ng rail infrastructure in this por- Program, the constructi on of a new Hudson River tunnel will ti on of the NEC was damaged following Super Storm Sandy and now permit the closing of the existi ng century-old tunnel for ex- faces reliability challenges. tended periods so that essenti al repair and replacement work can be done. The current volume of traﬃ c through the tunnel The vulnerability of access to Penn Stati on, New York was brought into is so dense that long-term closures are impossible to plan un- nati onal focus aft er Super Storm Sandy inundated the Hudson and East less the new Gateway tunnel is in place. The disrupti on of the River tunnels, severing all rail service to New York. With the Gateway daily traﬃ c into and out of Manhatt an would be too great. Today, work is done during elaborately scheduled 55-hour Historic and Projected Growth in Daily Penn Stati on, New York Train Movements weekend periods to avoid crippling weekday service reduc- 1976, 2012, and with Gateway (Illustrati ve) ti ons – but longer-term closures cannot be avoided due to the degree of damage that has been discovered following Super LIRR NJT Storm Sandy. 1976 Amtrak NEC Empire In sum, the Gateway Program will create the new infrastruc- Metro North ture essenti al to greater resiliency against future potenti al storms and disasters, while enabling repairs to damage and 2012 achieving capacity and reliability-related investments to meet the needs of the NEC’s operators for the next 30-50 years. Gateway 2025-2030

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Amtrak Northeast Corridor Infrastructure & Investment Development SPRING 2015 Gateway Program: 2025-2030 Secaucus Existing NEC Expanded Secaucus Frank R. Lautenberg Station Kearny (NJ Transit Only) Hudson Weehawken River Hackensack River Expanded Two New Portal Bridges Moynihan / Penn Station NY Connection to Existing NEC (Swift Interlocking) NJ Harrison New York MOYNIHAN / PENN STATION

Newark PENN STATION New Parallel Alignment in New Jersey New Trans-Hudson River Tunnels Manhattan

Jersey City Potential Future Extension East to Philadelphia

KEY COMPONENTS

New Hudson River Tunnel: A new, two-tube trans-Hudson River rail tunnel from the Bergen Palisades in New Jersey to Manhat- tan will directly serve an expanded Penn Stati on. This new tunnel will provide operati onal benefi ts for the existi ng Penn Stati on and increased capacity for commuter and intercity rail operati ons including NJ Transit and Amtrak. Constructi on has been completed on an 800-foot concrete casing through the Hudson Yards site, west of Penn Stati on, to preserve the only viable right-of- way for the future tunnel into Penn Stati on. A second 105-foot secti on is now underway.

Expanded Moynihan/Penn Stati on, New York: An expansion of existi ng New York Penn Stati on tracks and platf orms and the creati on of new “Penn South” concourses will also provide direct connecti ons to the future Moynihan Stati on. These improvements will support the long-term growth of commuter and intercity passenger rail service at both Penn Stati on and the historic Farley Post Oﬃ ce Building, which is being transformed into the new “Moynihan Stati on” by the Moynihan Stati on Development Corpo- rati on. The expanded Moynihan/Penn Stati on complex creates a consolidated Amtrak operati on on Manhatt an’s West Side and the high level of service and connecti vity required for the growth of Amtrak’s Acela and future NextGen high-speed rail services.

New Portal Bridges: Two new high-level, fi xed bridges, known as North and South Portal Bridges, will replace the 100-year-old, moveable Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus, New Jersey, doubling corridor capacity. Final design and federal environmental review for the North Bridge, the fi rst to be constructed, has been completed. The new bridge is esti mated to cost approximately $1 billion over a 5-year constructi on period and will proceed with the cooperati on of NJ Transit, Amtrak, and the federal government, as soon as funding can be secured.

Newark-to-Secaucus Improvements: The existi ng NEC will be greatly improved between Newark and Secaucus, New Jersey. The mainline will be expanded from two to four tracks between Newark and the Bergen Palisades tunnel portals, bett er connecti ons will be built to link the NEC with the NJ Transit Morris and Essex Lines, and various bridges will be upgraded or replaced.

Reconstructi on of Existi ng Hudson River Tunnel: It has long been Amtrak’s goal that the existi ng Hudson River tunnel, completed in 1910 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, be rebuilt and modernized. However, the damage to the tunnel following Super Storm Sandy has changed the situati on enti rely. Instead of work being a long term goal, it is now an urgent necessity. The Gateway Program resiliency components must be expedited for that work to proceed without causing acute disrupti ons to the NEC. PROGRAM BENEFITS

By eliminating the bottleneck in New York and creating additional tunnel, track, and station capacity in the most congested segment on the NEC, the Gateway Program will provide greater levels of service, increased redundancy, added reliability for shared operations, and additional capacity for the future increases in commuter and intercity rail service.

• Preservation: The construction of a new Hudson River tunnel is nec- Hudson River Tunnel: The existing Hudson River tunnel is over 100 years old, was damaged by Super Storm essary to preserve NJ Transit and Amtrak service to and from Penn Sandy, and requires service outages every weekend to Station while removing from service the existing Hudson River Tunnel perform maintenance and/or repairs. for a continuous, extended outage. Without extensive repairs and re- building of the existing tunnel, service reliability is likely to continue to deteriorate due to ongoing damage from saltwater incursion during Super Sandy, eventually forcing a shutdown of one or both tubes of the Hudson River Tunnel. • Capacity: The Gateway Program will benefit both intercity and commuter rail passengers, as well as communities and states along the entire NEC. When all components of the Gateway Program are put in place, it will double capacity for train operations under the Hudson River and expand tracks and platforms at Penn Station by nearly 40 percent. Hudson Yards: The rapid advancement of the Hudson • Operational Reliability and Resiliency: The Gateway Program will Yards mixed-use development project by Related Compa- nies and Oxford Properties Group required early action to provide essential Hudson River system redundancy and operational protect the Gateway tunnel alignment into Penn Station. flexibility critical to both managing and maintaining the system reli- ably day-in and day-out and in responding to emergencies. The new Hudson River tunnel will be built to provide enhanced resiliency against natural and man-made threats. • Commuter Rail Service Expansion: The Gateway Program will enable the expansion of one-seat ride opportunities to New York City for NJ Transit and Metro-North West-of-Hudson commuters. It will also support the introduction of Metro-North Railroad New Haven and Hud- son Line commuter services to Penn Station, New York and provide additional capacity to expand Amtrak high-speed, regional, and state- Moynihan Station: The first phase of construction is supported intercity services throughout the entire Northeast Region. underway to turn the Farley Post Office into an expanded Moynihan/Penn Station complex, which will benefit from • High-Speed Rail: The Gateway Program improvements will enable ex- the connections provided by the Gateway Program. pansion of existing Amtrak high-speed Acela Express and other intercity services, including Amtrak’s proposed 220 mph, next generation high-speed rail trains. Without the infrastructure and capacity improvements contained in the Gateway Program, it will not be possible to achieve the proposed high-speed goals. • Economic Growth: The Gateway Program will grow the economy by making business travel in the Northeast Region more convenient and reliable. The Program will also increase access to labor and job mar- kets on both sides of the Hudson River for employers and employees, creating more comfortable and reliable commuting options. The- ex pansion of high-speed Acela Express service and future introduction Portal Bridge: Elements of the Gateway Program, such as of 220 mph high-speed service will shrink travel times between major the replacement of Portal Bridge, have completed final design and are ready to move forward as soon as funding cities in the Northeast Region, forging new economic linkages critical is secured. in today’s globally competitive market. PROGRESS TO DATE AND NEXT STEPS

Hudson Yards Right-of-Way Preservati on Early acti ons to preserve the future pathway of a new Hudson River tunnel connecti ng to Penn Sta- ti on have already begun. Amtrak began constructi on in 2013 on a concrete casing to preserve an underground right-of-way that could serve as the future alignment for the Gateway tunnel into Penn Stati on, New York. Amtrak has determined that this alignment through the Hudson Yards provides the only viable route for new Hudson River tunnel to access Penn Stati on and serve existi ng tracks and platf orms. In December 2014, constructi on began to extend the concrete casing another 100 feet under the 11th Avenue Viaduct. This eﬀ ort has been supported by approximately $235 million of federal Sandy Resiliency funding under Disaster Relief Appropriati ons Act of 2013 and a local match shared by Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Metropolitan Transportati on Authority.

Design of Program Elements Amtrak is advancing concept design for discrete elements of the Gateway Program, many of which of- fer independent uti lity as replacement or resiliency projects, unti l they are all acti vated to deliver the capacity benefi ts of the Gateway Program. These include projects such as Replacement of “Sawtooth” Bridges in New Jersey, Harrison Stati on Fourth Track, and Elizabeth Stati on Fift h Track, and Penn Sta- ti on Expansion. The Gateway Program’s modular design allows these individual elements to advance as funding becomes available. For example, fi nal design and environmental review of Portal North Bridge, which will replace the existi ng Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, is already complete, making the project “shovel ready.”

Environmental Review and Preliminary Engineering of a new Hudson River Tunnel A new tunnel under the Hudson River from the Bergen Palisades to Penn Stati on in Manhatt an is likely to be the fi rst major element of Gateway Program to advance. This new tunnel is needed in order to reroute rail traﬃ c while the existi ng Hudson River Tunnel undergoes extensive repairs. Amtrak is now conducti ng outreach prior to launching the environmental review process required by the Nati onal Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with an aim to begin the NEPA process for the new tunnel, in cooperati on with its state and federal partners, in fall 2015. Amtrak has also partnered with NJ Transit to advance design and constructi on of a micro-grid supply within the Gateway Program area. When completed, this project will deliver electric power generated by independent sources and introduce new measures of a resilient power supply for this vitally important area.

Program Development Amtrak has completed a system level design study that evaluated tracti on power, signalizati on, and operati onal concepts for a new pair of rail tubes under the Hudson River that connect to a new 8-track expansion of Penn Stati on New York south of 31st Street in Manhatt an. The next phase of the study, Program Development, explores implementati on and phasing, including initi ati ng the NEPA process, organizati onal approach and program delivery, funding and fi nancing, and further planning of the in- tegrated Penn Stati on facility. The Program Development study is ongoing through early 2016.

Visit NEC.Amtrak.com for more informati on on the Gateway Program and other NEC infrastructure investments.