Amtrak begins shutdown of East River Tunnel tube for rehab project in NYC
(UI) — Amtrak has officially started long-term construction on the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project, one of the largest service outages in its recent history.
On May 27, crews began preparations for the full reconstruction of two critical tunnel tubes—Line 1 and Line 2—that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Though the tunnels remain structurally sound, Amtrak officials say the internal systems have continued to deteriorate, compromising reliability. The project will completely overhaul the century-old tunnels, replacing outdated infrastructure with modern systems to extend service life by another 100 years.
Crews will fully close and rehabilitate one tunnel at a time, beginning with Line 2 on June 2. Demolition will take the tunnel down to the concrete liners before rebuilding with new systems. Three of the four East River Tunnels will remain operational throughout the project to maintain service for Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and NJ TRANSIT.
“This is Amtrak’s largest planned outage in recent history, an important undertaking planned in coordination with our partners over several years,” the company stated. Amtrak teams will remain on standby across the Penn Station complex to address emergencies and minimize any disruptions.
To support the three-track operation during the closure of Line 2, Amtrak has spent months reinforcing infrastructure in the tunnels that will remain open. Lines 3 and 4 have already undergone repairs, including benchwall restoration, sealing work to prevent water infiltration, third rail replacement, and signal and power upgrades.
Currently, the first 10 days of the long-term outage are focused on final mitigation efforts in Line 1. These include relocating power cables and replacing block ties—critical steps to “harden” the infrastructure. This phase began over Memorial Day weekend and will continue through the following weekend, after which work will shift to Line 2.
Amtrak leadership recently met with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA officials to reaffirm their commitment to minimizing service disruptions. As part of this effort, the company has deployed 24/7 engineering coverage, increased inspection frequency, and strategically staged emergency response equipment.
Amtrak, in coordination with LIRR and NJ TRANSIT, will continue to monitor operations and make adjustments if necessary to maintain service reliability during the tunnel closures
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