Latest news with #tunnelclosure
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amtrak ready to close NYC tunnel despite fears of possible delays, chaos from Hochul, MTA
Amtrak is moving full speed ahead with tunnel closures in the city on Friday — despite pleas from Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams who fear the three-year project could cause transit chaos. Amtrak leadership had a 'productive' meeting with Hochul and leaders of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Thursday, but Amtrak will still close one of two westbound train tracks in the East River Tunnel, according to Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams. 'Amtrak reassured the Governor and MTA of our commitment to minimizing impacts to passengers throughout the project,' Abrams said. The transit giant's much-maligned plan earned the ire of Long Islanders and top city and state officials over worries the closure could affect MTA trains from Queens into Penn Station. Any unforeseen construction problems may mean all access in the tunnel has to be closed off, potentially disrupting train traffic on a major regional scale, critics have argued. But Amtrak said to try to avoid delays it will provide around-the-clock engineering coverage during the outage, conduct more frequent inspections of the remaining westbound track — and strategically position rescue equipment so delays can be swiftly resolved. Hochul said Amtrak also agreed to allow third-party consultants to examine the project to determine if the second tunnel needs to be fully closed when that construction begins in the fall of 2026 and runs for 13 months. The construction on the first tunnel starting Friday will also take about 13 months, Amtrak engineers said. Hochul asked Amtrak to suspend dynamic pricing on affected train trips during the shutdown. Abrams said Amtrak is assessing the feasibility with the New York State Department of Transportation. Mayor Eric Adams jumped into the tunnel tug-of-war May 6, sending a fiery letter to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — blasting Amtrak's East River shutdown plan and demanding feds step in before commuters are left stranded and steaming. City Hall sources said Adams has been going back and forth with the White House on the shutdown, even having Randy Maestro, the first deputy mayor, make the admin's case. But ultimately, the mayor's office is letting Hochul lead the discussion. 'Top administration officials have had numerous conversations with Amtrak and the White House on this issue, and negotiations are still ongoing with the White House,' a City Hall rep said in a statement. The MTA's Long Island Railroad service uses the East River Tunnel for hundreds of trains each day. LIRR President Rob Free has tried to distance the MTA from the closure plan, calling it 'Amtrak's operation' last week — even though the MTA green-lit Amtrak's plan to close the tunnels back in October 2023. Amtrak has maintained that the full closure of the tunnels is necessary because of the extent of damages since it was walloped by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 'Amtrak is committed to delivering for today's riders while making the long-overdue investments needed to protect service for future generations,' Abrams said.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
Key tunnel used by thousands of commuters every week to close for 10 weeks for £10m upgrade after ‘repeated faults'
COMMUTERS are being warned to plan ahead as a major tunnel is set to close for 10 weeks due to repair works. Train journeys are expected to be disrupted from this Sunday May 18 until Sunday July 27, as work begins on the £10 million upgrade. The Blackheath tunnel's planned closure will affect passengers in south-east London travelling between Blackheath and Charlton. From Sunday, train services will be diverted via Greenwich and Bexleyheath for Network Rail to carry out their "essential repairs" on the 175-year-old Victorian structure. The closure comes on the same day as timetable changes are set for the Southeastern rail, so passengers are reminded to keep up to date with different services. Tunnel repair work will include replacing thousands of bricks and installing a new tunnel lining to stop water leaks, rebuilding the drainage systems, removal of 'wet beds' and waterlogged sections of the track. This work on the one-mile tunnel is said to mean less faults and delays for passengers in the long-term, as well as improve bumpy sections that passengers experience on the track. Around 1,000 minutes of delays are reported to have occurred for Southeastern passengers last year. Speaking for the Southeastern-Network Rail Alliance, Network Rail's Kent route director David Davidson said: "We know there's never a good time to close the railway, and that changes to services for a 10-week period is a long time. "These essential repairs will improve the safety and operation of the tunnel. 'We are carrying out the repairs over a series of 10-week closures because working in cramped and narrow tunnels is incredibly difficult." Extra routes will also run on the Woolwich line for connections to the Docklands Light Railway and Elizabeth line, as well as extra services on the Bexleyheath line. Around 3,500 passengers per week are estimated to travel between Lewisham and Abbey Wood through the Blackheath tunnel. This closure follows another 10-week shut down which occurred last year, where engineers cleaned soot from the tunnel lining, conducted detailed surveys, and replaced thousands of bricks. It also comes just days after a power outage struck London underground passengers in the south-west on Monday. Passengers on the Bakerloo, Waterloo and City lines were impacted as the lines were suspended, and no trains between London Bridge and Finchley Road on the Jubilee line were in operation. 1
