Amtrak’s award of a construction contract in 2024 to Skanska E-J Joint Venture for work on repairs to the East River Tunnel means years of inevitable future delays for passengers who rely on that tunnel. Two of the tunnel’s four tubes were subject to flooding by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 resulting in significant damage. This is only the start of a long journey facing Penn Station’s Long Island Rail Road commuters before completion. The riding and taxpaying public still need to see the detailed construction schedule submitted by the construction contractor. It should have already been reviewed and approved by Amtrak with input from both NJTransit and LIRR, whose operations will be directly impacted by the work. The schedule would provide the weekly, monthly and yearly detailed construction project interim milestones, along with sequencing of work that justify the promised 2027 completion date. Don’t be surprised if the project completion date slips into 2028 or 2029. The budget may also increase. There will be contract change orders during construction. They may be due to unforeseen site conditions, last minute requests by Amtrak operations, maintenance or other departments, LIRR and NJT. Construction contractors sometimes submit claims for additional financial reimbursement. These claims may be based upon additional work not included in the original contract. LIRR inside Penn Station (Shutterstock) To preserve existing service, some LIRR rush hour Penn trains will be canceled or combined or sent to Grand Central. This results in overcrowded Penn trains with insufficient seating capacity. Some riders will end up standing in the vestibules and aisles. Conductors will be unable to walk through trains and check tickets. Until this work is over, it will be impossible to guarantee safe and reliable on-time service with the same current level of service, including a seat, during a.m. and p.m. peak trips to and from Penn Station for LIRR commuters. During the past eight years the projected cost of work for the tunnel repair has increased 300% to $1.6 billion. Even with work starting in 2024, there is no guarantee that repairs to the two most damaged tubes will be completed by 2027. Will Amtrak have sufficient track outages and force account support (Amtrak employees) to meet the promised 2027 completion date? The same Amtrak resources are also committed to other projects along the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston for years to come. Three of these in the New York area include the $1.6 billion Portal North Bridge, $3.1 billion for MTA Metro-North’s Bronx East Penn Station Access and the $16.8 billion Gateway Tunnel Hudson River Phase One projects. And this does not include ongoing routine maintenance at Penn Station Newark, Penn Station New York, the Hudson and East River tunnels, $2 billion Maryland Susquehanna River Bridge, $4.7 billion 1.4 mile Baltimore Potomac Tunnel, $827 million Connecticut River Bridge, other stations, tracks, bridges, tunnels and facilities along the Northeast Corridor. How can Amtrak provide sufficient numbers of employees to work on these key state of good repair and system expansion projects while supporting work on the East River Tunnel at the same time? Only a review by an independent engineer of Amtrak’s 2025 and future year’s annual Master Force Account and Track Outage Plans could validate that they have the resources to support future East River Tunnel work, along with all the other major capital projects in the Metro New York area and Northeast corridor. Amtrak has previously stated that it will require each of the two tubes damaged by Sandy to be out of service for a year and half to advance project work. The other two tubes will also need work to bring them up to a state of good repair. With only three of four tubes available for the next few years, there will be a 25% reduction in Penn Station access and capacity. Besides LIRR, NJTransit, along with Amtrak, need significant access to move equipment to and from the Sunnyside Yards via the same tubes. This facility is used by both Amtrak and NJT for midday and overnight storage to position equipment for rush hour and off peak service. Having only three of the four tubes running inbound mornings and evening rush hours means very tight spacing between trains. One tube is shared by the LIRR, NJT and Amtrak for reverse train movements with equally tight spacing during rush hours. Penn Station is currently operating at 100% capacity during rush hours. Right now, if one of the four tubes is temporarily out of service, the result is numerous delays, cancellation and combining of trains. Under Amtrak’s plan, that will be the condition for a few years. Amtrak’s East River Tunnel rehabilitation will result in one of four tubes being removed from service 24/7. If a train stalls in one of the three remaining tubes, thousands of commuters will be late. There is also the West Side Penn Station yard used by LIRR for midday storage of trains. During the evening eastbound rush hour, the LIRR runs equipment from this facility. Full eastbound evening peak service is dependent upon westbound trains arriving at Penn Station. This equipment is turned around to make a second trip east bound, so everything is impacted. To preserve existing service, it is obvious that some LIRR rush hour trains will be canceled or combined. Others will be diverted to the Grand Central. This will add to travel time for those with West Side Manhattan destinations who prefer Penn Station. This results in overcrowded trains with insufficient seating capacity for those still serving Penn. Until this work is over, it will be impossible to guarantee safe and reliable on-time service with the same current level of service, including a seat, during morning and evening peak trips to and from Penn Station for LIRR commuters. Reduced East River Tunnel capacity also makes it difficult to add previously promised new services This includes Metro-North East Bronx New Haven line Access to Penn Station via the Hell Gate Bridge (whose start date has now been delayed from late 2027 to a 2028 date yet to be made public) and 40% overall increase in reverse peak service as a result of East Side Access to Grand Central. Both Amtrak and NJTransit need access to the Queens Sunnyside Yards via the East River tunnels to support their own respective planned service increases. Going from four to three available East River tubes can only result in a significant capacity reduction. This translates to no increase in existing or new services until work on all four East River tubes is completed. The LIRR 1960’s motto, “Line of the Dashing Dan,” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth” when it comes to completing East River Tunnel repairs as a result of damages from 2012 Superstorm Sandy 15 years later in 2027. Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former director for operations and program management at the FTA Region 2 New York Office.