Track construction is under way after crews worked across every aspect of the project to complete critical civil construction and advance complex systems installations.
“Despite challenging weather, several demanding weekend outages, and an intense schedule, the project remains on track for reopening Line 2 in July 2026,” says Amtrak.
After more than four months’ work, benchwall construction is now complete. Multiple 122m segments were poured each week and in total just under 4,900m of new benchwall was installed across 41 pour days.
Track construction officially began on February 7 and by the end of February more than 2,440m of continuous welded rail had been pulled into the tunnel; over 3,000 resilient low vibration track (LVT) system blocks set; and nearly 305m of track bed completed.
Work on the west end of the tunnel, between Penn Station and 1st Ave, was due to be completed last week.
The installation of modern communication, power, and safety systems is also progressing.
“The winter months brought extraordinary progress, and the tunnel is now entering its most technically complex phase. The project team remains fully focused on delivering a modernised, resilient tunnel ready to serve passengers for the next century,” said Amtrak.
The ERT, which opened in 1910, consists of four tubes connecting New York City to destinations east, and is used by Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and NJ TRANSIT trains.
The ERT Rehabilitation Project is restoring the two tubes that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. It has involved demolishing the tunnel systems down to the concrete liners to modernise the tunnel infrastructure, and improve safety, reliability, and security.
