Manufacturing of the TBMs that will build the first 1.6km of the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River is nearing completion.
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) says the procurement, manufacture, and factory assembly of the first and second Herrenknecht TBM is 85% and 73% complete, respectively.
The first TBM is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, and the second by November. Following the factory acceptance test in autumn, the TBMs will be shipped to New Jersey to be reassembled on site. Tunnel boring will start in 2026.
The TBMs currently being manufactured will build the first 1.6km of the Hudson Tunnel’s parallel tubes, from the New Jersey entrance at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to the access shaft in Hudson County.
The TBMs will bore the two parallel tunnel tubes, advancing approximately 9m per day. They are expected to take a year to complete this section.
The 1,680-ton TBMs each have an 8.7m-diameter and are 152m long. There are more than 1,000 sensors throughout each machine to monitor the TBM’s position underground, wear and tear on key components, air quality inside the tunnel, and other metrics to ensure safe, efficient operation.
GDC CEO Tom Prendergast said building a tunnel under a river was “a remarkable challenge”.
“The TBMs that we will use for the Hudson Tunnel Project are massive, highly complex machines, and it took nearly two years of construction to prepare for their arrival. Thousands of people across multiple construction teams are working incredibly hard to reach this important milestone on schedule,” he said.
The GDC board has also authorised the GDC to execute a new contract with Gateway Trans Hudson Partnership Engineering (GTHPE) to provide engineer of record and engineering services during construction for the remaining HTP construction projects. GTHPE has supported planning and construction of the HTP under a contract with Amtrak since 2013. The new contract will cover all construction projects currently in progress and future HTP construction packages.
The board also authorised GDC to execute a Project Labour Agreement (PLA) for the NJ Surface Alignment Project.
