Amtrak tunnel closure plan raises concerns for Long Island Rail Road commuters
Superstorm Sandy inundated two tunnels under the East River with millions of gallons of corrosive saltwater in October 2012. Credit: Amtrak
MTA officials, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman voiced concerns Monday over an Amtrak plan to take one of the four tunnels to Penn Station out of service for the next three years beginning next month, potentially impacting hundreds of thousands of Long Island commuters.
While the MTA wants the tunnel repairs to be carried out on nights and weekends, Amtrak is moving ahead with a plan to shut one tube at a time for the project's duration.
At a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board Monday, board member Marc Herbst, who represents Suffolk County, raised what he called a "major concern" over Amtrak’s plan to repair Superstorm Sandy damage in two of its four East River Tunnels by keeping one tunnel out of service, around the clock, for the next three years.
The MTA — the Long Island Rail Road’s parent organization — has unsuccessfully pushed Amtrak to perform the repairs at off-peak times, allowing the tunnels to remain in service during the critical rush hours. Amtrak owns and maintains Penn and the adjoining tunnels.
"We’re not comfortable with what they’re doing," LIRR president Robert Free said at the meeting.
Hochul, in a statement on Monday night, called for Amtrak to reevaluate its plan and consider the "repair in place" method.
Blakeman, in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, implored the federal government to intervene and prevent service disruptions that "will ripple throughout the regional economy, impacting businesses, families, and communities."
Amtrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has previously said the alternative repair method supported by the MTA would not be a good fit for the tunnel project. On Monday, Amtrak referred Newsday to an earlier statement about service reductions on its Empire route to and from Albany caused by the $1.6 billion tunnel project.
"These significant upgrades will modernize critical infrastructure and ensure long-term improvements," to Amtrak and commuter services, Amtrak said in the Feb. 20 statement.
Free said he recently wrote a letter to Amtrak addressing the "significant risks" faced by the LIRR, which operates more trains into and out of Penn than any other railroad.
The "greatest risk," Free said comes from an unplanned issue that might typically be "mundane," but could cause major impacts to LIRR riders with 25% less tunnel capacity. In his letter to Amtrak, Free questioned whether the national rail provider has done the necessary work to "mitigate operational risks" in the two tunnels not being repaired to prevent an unplanned service outage that would result in half the tunnels being out of commission.
"A ‘minor’ issue that could have been mitigated with all four tunnels in service could very quickly result in suspension of service in or out of Penn Station," Free wrote in the April 9 letter. "As the largest carrier operating in Penn Station, a service suspension for any duration would be devastating to the hundreds of thousands of LIRR customers."
Free noted, with the opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023, the LIRR reduced service levels at Penn in anticipation of having reduced capacity because of the effort to repair the tunnels, which were inundated with millions of gallons of corrosive saltwater in the October 2012 storm. "We've been pushing back firmly that we do not want to reduce service even more than that," Free said at the meeting.
Free and other MTA officials said Amtrak already has a spotty track record when it comes to committing the necessary workers and resources for construction projects — an issue MTA officials have said contributed to delays and cost overruns in the opening of Grand Central Madison.
"So we ask for transparency of details, more intensity and a greater sense of urgency as to how they're approaching this project to protect our operation," Free said.
Free and other MTA officials also expressed concern that the tunnel repairs could extend beyond the three years Amtrak is predicting. Blakeman, in his letter to Transportation Secretary Duffy, also criticized "the absence of a transparent and detailed construction schedule." He urged U.S. Department of Transportation to work with Amtrak on a construction schedule that would "prioritize night and weekend work."
"Shifting major repair to off-peak hours would meaningfully reduce weekday disruption while keeping infrastructure improvements on track," Blakeman wrote. "Nassau County stands ready to assist in advancing a commuter-based solution."
The DOT office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter comes as Duffy is entwined in a feud with the MTA over its refusal to comply with a DOT order to shut down its congestion pricing toll program.
Without specifying what schedule changes are necessitated by the project, the LIRR on Monday released new timetables taking effect May 19 that it said aims to support the tunnel work. The schedule includes two new early morning trains from Jamaica to Grand Central Madison. A Penn Station-Montauk evening train that previously operated only on Thursdays and Fridays in the summer is also being extended to run on all weekdays.
The MTA on Monday also released the latest revenue figures for its congestion pricing program, which charges most vehicles $9 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan. After expenses — including from legal costs in battling the Trump administration in court — the tolls brought in a $45.1 million in March. Through the first quarter of 2025, the MTA has netted $123 million in congestion tolls, keeping the agency on pace to hitting its $500 million target for the year. The revenue will go toward funding infrastructure upgrades in the transit system.
MTA officials, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman voiced concerns Monday over an Amtrak plan to take one of the four tunnels to Penn Station out of service for the next three years beginning next month, potentially impacting hundreds of thousands of Long Island commuters.
While the MTA wants the tunnel repairs to be carried out on nights and weekends, Amtrak is moving ahead with a plan to shut one tube at a time for the project's duration.
At a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board Monday, board member Marc Herbst, who represents Suffolk County, raised what he called a "major concern" over Amtrak’s plan to repair Superstorm Sandy damage in two of its four East River Tunnels by keeping one tunnel out of service, around the clock, for the next three years.
The MTA — the Long Island Rail Road’s parent organization — has unsuccessfully pushed Amtrak to perform the repairs at off-peak times, allowing the tunnels to remain in service during the critical rush hours. Amtrak owns and maintains Penn and the adjoining tunnels.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- The MTA, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman are all raising concerns over the potential for an Amtrak repair project in the East River Tunnels to significantly impact Long Island Rail Road service.
- Amtrak's effort to repair Superstorm Sandy damage in two of the four tunnels linking to Penn Station will result in one tunnel being kept out of service around-the-clock for the next three years. The MTA wants the closures limited to nights and weekends.
- LIRR president Robert Free said the biggest risk comes from an unforeseen issue in one of the remaining tunnels that could result in Penn Station running at half its tunnel capacity.
"We’re not comfortable with what they’re doing," LIRR president Robert Free said at the meeting.
Hochul, in a statement on Monday night, called for Amtrak to reevaluate its plan and consider the "repair in place" method.
Blakeman, in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, implored the federal government to intervene and prevent service disruptions that "will ripple throughout the regional economy, impacting businesses, families, and communities."
Amtrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has previously said the alternative repair method supported by the MTA would not be a good fit for the tunnel project. On Monday, Amtrak referred Newsday to an earlier statement about service reductions on its Empire route to and from Albany caused by the $1.6 billion tunnel project.
"These significant upgrades will modernize critical infrastructure and ensure long-term improvements," to Amtrak and commuter services, Amtrak said in the Feb. 20 statement.
Free said he recently wrote a letter to Amtrak addressing the "significant risks" faced by the LIRR, which operates more trains into and out of Penn than any other railroad.
The "greatest risk," Free said comes from an unplanned issue that might typically be "mundane," but could cause major impacts to LIRR riders with 25% less tunnel capacity. In his letter to Amtrak, Free questioned whether the national rail provider has done the necessary work to "mitigate operational risks" in the two tunnels not being repaired to prevent an unplanned service outage that would result in half the tunnels being out of commission.
"A ‘minor’ issue that could have been mitigated with all four tunnels in service could very quickly result in suspension of service in or out of Penn Station," Free wrote in the April 9 letter. "As the largest carrier operating in Penn Station, a service suspension for any duration would be devastating to the hundreds of thousands of LIRR customers."
Free noted, with the opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023, the LIRR reduced service levels at Penn in anticipation of having reduced capacity because of the effort to repair the tunnels, which were inundated with millions of gallons of corrosive saltwater in the October 2012 storm. "We've been pushing back firmly that we do not want to reduce service even more than that," Free said at the meeting.
Free and other MTA officials said Amtrak already has a spotty track record when it comes to committing the necessary workers and resources for construction projects — an issue MTA officials have said contributed to delays and cost overruns in the opening of Grand Central Madison.
"So we ask for transparency of details, more intensity and a greater sense of urgency as to how they're approaching this project to protect our operation," Free said.
Free and other MTA officials also expressed concern that the tunnel repairs could extend beyond the three years Amtrak is predicting. Blakeman, in his letter to Transportation Secretary Duffy, also criticized "the absence of a transparent and detailed construction schedule." He urged U.S. Department of Transportation to work with Amtrak on a construction schedule that would "prioritize night and weekend work."
"Shifting major repair to off-peak hours would meaningfully reduce weekday disruption while keeping infrastructure improvements on track," Blakeman wrote. "Nassau County stands ready to assist in advancing a commuter-based solution."
The DOT office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter comes as Duffy is entwined in a feud with the MTA over its refusal to comply with a DOT order to shut down its congestion pricing toll program.
Without specifying what schedule changes are necessitated by the project, the LIRR on Monday released new timetables taking effect May 19 that it said aims to support the tunnel work. The schedule includes two new early morning trains from Jamaica to Grand Central Madison. A Penn Station-Montauk evening train that previously operated only on Thursdays and Fridays in the summer is also being extended to run on all weekdays.
The MTA on Monday also released the latest revenue figures for its congestion pricing program, which charges most vehicles $9 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan. After expenses — including from legal costs in battling the Trump administration in court — the tolls brought in a $45.1 million in March. Through the first quarter of 2025, the MTA has netted $123 million in congestion tolls, keeping the agency on pace to hitting its $500 million target for the year. The revenue will go toward funding infrastructure upgrades in the transit system.
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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