Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Project Preliminary Engineering Project Definition Report August 21, 2008 Project Definition Report Revisions REVISION HISTORY Revision Date Description 0 12/11/07 Issued for NJ TRANSIT review 1 1/18/08 Incorporates post 100% plans 2 4/4/08 Incorporates Final PE plans 3 8/21/08 Incorporates Extended PE updates NJT 06-046 2680 i 8-21-08 REV 3 Project Definition Report Contents Project Definition Report Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................... E-1 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1-1 1.1 Scope of This Report...............................................................1-1 1.2 Project Overview......................................................................1-1 1.2.1 Service Level Increases ......................................................................1-1 1.2.2 ARC Tracks and Tunnels ....................................................................1-1 1.2.3 Loop Tracks.........................................................................................1-2 1.2.4 Frank R. Lautenberg Station Upgrade.................................................1-3 1.2.5 West End Wye.....................................................................................1-3 1.2.6 NY Penn Station Expansion ................................................................1-3 1.2.7 Tunnel and Station Ventilation.............................................................1-3 1.2.8 Maintenance and Storage Facilities ....................................................1-4 1.2.9 Rolling Stock........................................................................................1-4 1.3 Project Objectives ...................................................................1-4 1.4 Sub- Project Packages....................................................................1-5 2 DESIGN STANDARDS...........................................................................2-1 2.1 General .....................................................................................2-1 2.2 Acronyms .................................................................................2-1 2.3 Codes, Manuals, Specifications, and Standards ..................2-3 3 ALIGNMENT CONSIDERATIONS .........................................................3-1 3.1 Overview...................................................................................3-1 3.2 Horizontal Alignment Description ..........................................3-1 3.2.1 New Jersey..........................................................................................3-1 3.2.2 Hudson River.......................................................................................3-3 3.2.3 New York.............................................................................................3-3 3.2.4 NY Penn Station Expansion ................................................................3-4 3.3 Maintenance and Storage Facilities .......................................3-4 3.4 Vertical Alignment Description...............................................3-5 3.4.1 New Jersey..........................................................................................3-5 3.4.2 Hudson River.......................................................................................3-6 3.4.3 New York.............................................................................................3-6 4 OPERATIONS AND CAPACITY ............................................................4-1 4.1 General .....................................................................................4-1 4.2 Project Elements......................................................................4-1 4.2.1 New Jersey Loop Track and Surface Alignments................................4-1 4.3 Tunnels and Caverns ..............................................................4-4 4.4 NY Penn Station Expansion....................................................4-6 4.4.1 NYPSE Service Plan ...........................................................................4-6 4.4.2 NYPSE Operations.............................................................................4-7 4.4.3 Station Operations Center ...................................................................4-7 4.5 Railroad Systems.....................................................................4-8 NJT 06-046 2680 ii 8-21-08 REV 3 Project Definition Report Contents 4.6 Kearny Mid-day Storage Yard.................................................4-8 4.6.1 Rail Access to Yard ...........................................................................4-11 4.6.2 Trainwasher.......................................................................................4-11 4.6.3 Fueling and Sanding Facility .............................................................4-11 4.6.4 Service Functions..............................................................................4-12 4.6.5 Yard Operations ................................................................................4-12 4.6.6 Welfare Facility..................................................................................4-12 5 PE ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT .....................................................5-1 5.1 General .....................................................................................5-1 5.2 New Jersey Surface PE Alternative Assessment..................5-1 5.3 Hudson River PE Alternative Assessment ............................5-3 5.4 New York PE Alignment Assessment ....................................5-3 5.5 Station Alternative Assessment .............................................5-4 5.6 Station Entrances ....................................................................5-5 5.7 Fan Plants.................................................................................5-6 5.7.1 New Jersey Fan Plants........................................................................5-6 5.7.2 New York Fan Plants...........................................................................5-7 5.8 Kearny Yard..............................................................................5-7 6 GEOTECHNICAL CONDITIONS ............................................................6-1 6.1 Geologic Settings ....................................................................6-1 6.1.1 Regional Geology................................................................................6-1 6.2 New Jersey Geology................................................................6-2 6.2.1 New Jersey Physiography...................................................................6-2 6.2.2 New Jersey Bedrock Geology .............................................................6-2 6.2.3 New Jersey Overburden Geology .......................................................6-3 6.3 Hudson River Physiography...................................................6-4 6.3.1 Hudson River Physiography ................................................................6-4 6.3.2 Hudson River Bedrock Geology ..........................................................6-4 6.3.3 Hudson River Overburden Geology ....................................................6-4 6.4 New York Geology ...................................................................6-5 6.4.1 New York Physiology...........................................................................6-5 6.4.2 New York Bedrock Geology ................................................................6-5 6.4.3 New York Overburden Geology..........................................................6-5 6.5 Site Geotechnical Conditions .................................................6-6 6.5.1 Kearny Yard.........................................................................................6-6 6.5.2 Loop Tracks.........................................................................................6-7 6.5.3 NJ Surface Alignments ........................................................................6-9 6.5.4 Palisades Tunnels .............................................................................6-10 6.5.5 Hudson River Tunnels .......................................................................6-13 6.5.6 Manhattan Tunnels and NY Penn Station Expansion........................6-16 6.6 References .............................................................................6-21 7 ENVIRONMENTAL.................................................................................7-1 7.1 Introduction..............................................................................7-1 7.2 Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment........................7-1 7.3 Subsurface Investigations ......................................................7-4 7.4 Environmental Subsurface Investigation Report..................7-5 8 SEISMIC DESIGN...................................................................................8-1 8.1 General .....................................................................................8-1 NJT 06-046 2680 iii 8-21-08 REV 3 Project Definition Report Contents 8.2 Regional Security ....................................................................8-1 8.2.1 Seismic Hazard...................................................................................8-1 8.2.2 Design peak Ground Motion Parameters and Design Response Spectra ................................................................................................8-2 8.3 Geotechnical Seismic Design.................................................8-3