Schumer: Amtrak, MTA reach East River Tunnels agreement

A deal between Amtrak and the MTA, brokered by Sen. Chuck Schumer, would allow for repairs on the storm-damaged East River Tunnels to begin ahead of Amtrak's planned schedule.

Schumer, the Senate majority leader, is expected to announce Monday that Amtrak will commit $500 million to the Metro-North Penn Access project in exchange for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority allocating up to $432 million for the repairs to the East River Tunnels.

Schumer said work will start "imminently," and his office said it will be pushing for a work schedule that "interferes with commuters as little as possible, while ensuring the work gets done." Amtrak and MTA officials will join the senator at a Monday news conference to announce more details, Schumer’s office added.

"It’s a huge sigh of relief for Long Island commuters, who have followed this issue carefully," Schumer said.

He said both agencies will be able to tap from a new $30 billion federal rail account, which is funded from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed last month.

The agencies will have to submit applications for grants to receive reimbursement toward the funding and Schumer’s office said that both agencies "will see portions of the $30 billion fund."

Schumer stressed the urgency of the project; in May, Amtrak said it might not be able to begin repairs until January 2024.

The LIRR uses the East River Tunnels but they are owned by Amtrak.

"These tunnels got real damage in [superstorm] Sandy and if they’re not fixed soon they can collapse and Long Island Rail Road riders could be stuck with nothing," Schumer, who arranged the deal last week, told Newsday Sunday. "There’s been a lot of urgency here because these tunnels are deteriorating."

Amtrak maintains the 111-year-old tunnels connecting to Penn Station and was in charge of repairs. With this new agreement, the MTA, which is the primary user of the East River Tunnels, will allocate funds toward their rehab.

The cost for the tunnel repairs is estimated to be $1.3 billion and is expected to be finished in 2027, according to Schumer’s office.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan referred Newsday to Schumer’s office for details on the projects. Amtrak did not return Newsday’s request for comment.

Long Island’s East Side Access project, which aims to reduce travel times for commuters headed to Westchester by 40 minutes a day, compared with taking the subway between Penn Station and Grand Central, will also be eligible to receive funds from the $30 billion dollar federal rail account.

Schumer added that the Metro-North Penn Access project, which will expand Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line from two tracks to four in the East Bronx and Westchester, is estimated to cost $2.87 billion and will finish in 2027.

Additionally, Schumer said the agreement will call for Amtrak to fund building four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, including at Co-Op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, and Hunts Point.