Work on the new Hudson rail tunnel is scheduled to move ahead this spring, with two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) built specifically for the scheme en route to New Jersey, US.
According to the Gateway Development Commission (GDC), the first TBM is due to arrive in January, with the second to be shipped in early 2026.
Both machines will be assembled at the base of the Palisades in North Bergen.
GDC CEO Thomas Prendergast said: “These TBMs are not standard construction equipment. They are massive, highly complex machines that have been custom-built for the Hudson Tunnel Project. Producing them is an impressive feat in-and-of itself.
“The two years of work that our teams on the ground in New Jersey have done to prepare for the arrival of the TBMs is just as impressive.”
Boring will begin at the Palisades Tunnel segment, where the equipment will build about one mile of the new tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.
The TBMs will drive two parallel bores at the same time and install concrete lining as they advance.
Each machine is expected to complete about 30 feet of tunnel per day.
In a joint statement, GDC commissioners said: “We are on the verge of a new phase of the Hudson Tunnel Project.
“When the two tunnel boring machines that were manufactured this year begin their journey under the Palisades, it will represent a major step forward for the project.”
Last year in August, GDC awarded the Palisades Tunnel contract to the Schiavone Dragados Lane joint venture. This was the first tunnel boring package let under the overall programme.
