North River Tunnels

North River Tunnels
	A NJ Transit train entering the western portal at Bergen Hill in November 2011
Overview
Line	Northeast Corridor
Location	Hudson Palisades-Hudson River
Coordinates	40°46′17″N 74°02′31″W / 40.7714°N 74.0419°W
System	Amtrak and NJ Transit
Start	Bergen Hill in Weehawken, New Jersey
End	Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City
Constructed	1904–1908
Further information
Operation
Constructed	1904–1908
Opened	November 27, 1910
Owner	Amtrak
Traffic	Railroad
Character	Passenger
Technical
Design engineer	Charles M. Jacobs
Length	14,575 feet (4,442 m)
No. of tracks	1 per tube
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrified	Third rail and Overhead lines
Operating speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Lowest elevation	175 feet (53.3 m) below Bergen Hill
Depth of tunnel below water level	100 feet (30.5 m) below Hudson River
Depth of shipping channel above	52 feet
Grade	1.30% in Weehawken, 1.923% in Manhattan
	North River Tunnels

The North River Tunnels are a pair of rail tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passenger lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built between 1904 and 1908 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to allow its trains to reach Manhattan, they opened for service in late 1910.

The tunnels allow a maximum of 24 bidirectional crossings per hour, and operate near capacity during peak hours. The tunnels were damaged by extensive flooding brought on by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, causing frequent delays in train operations. In May 2014, Amtrak then stated that one or both of the tunnels would have to be shut down within the next twenty years.

In May 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) approved construction of two new tunnels. The new tunnels, dubbed the Gateway Tunnels, are scheduled to open in 2035, while rehabilitation of the old tunnels is set to be completed by 2038.^[5]

^ Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. p. 58.
^ Belson, Ken (April 6, 2008). "Tunnel Milestone, and More to Come". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "'Pennsy's' North River Tunnel a Marvel of Skill; Bores Meeting Head-on Under the River Only an Eighth of an Inch Out of Alignment and Three-fourths of an Inch Out of Grade" (PDF). The New York Times. September 9, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331.
^ "Fishermap". fishermap.org. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
^ Cite error: The named reference nyt20220831 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. p. 58.

[belson-2] Belson, Ken (April 6, 2008). "Tunnel Milestone, and More to Come". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2011.

[nyt19060909-3] "'Pennsy's' North River Tunnel a Marvel of Skill; Bores Meeting Head-on Under the River Only an Eighth of an Inch Out of Alignment and Three-fourths of an Inch Out of Grade" (PDF). The New York Times. September 9, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331.

[4] "Fishermap". fishermap.org. Retrieved June 2, 2021.

[nyt20220831-5] Cite error: The named reference nyt20220831 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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