With the NJ Transit Strike (which struck a deal in just three days) and NYC’s subway system feeling, well, pretty disruptive quite often, it only makes sense that issues would strike LIRR riders now, though we wish that weren’t the case. But just in time, in walks Amtrak East River tunnel repair.
Amtrak recently announced that as of Friday, May 23rd, a shutdown of the East River rail tunnel has officially commenced as part of a three-year, comprehensive rehabilitation project to correct lasting damage from hurricane Sandy.
Unfortunately, the repair job is going to bring issues to LIRR riders. Here’s what you need to know:
What is the Amtrak East River Tunnel repair project
According to Amtrak, the $1.6 billion investment will fully renew two of the four century-old tubes beneath the East River–essential infrastructure for Amtrak, LIRR, and NJ TRANSIT service. They noted that “though the two tunnels remained structurally sound and safe following the storm, they continue to suffer system failures and degradation, and now require full reconstruction of power, signal, track, and structural systems to ensure long-term reliability.”
When will the East River Tunnel shut down?
Repairs began on the East River Tunnel on Friday, May 23rd, which involves a back-to-back shutdown of two of the tunnel’s four rail tubes. Line 2 is currently completely shut down and will remain out of service for the next 13 months. Line 1 is currently open and being used solely by Amtrak and NJ Transit, though it will also shut down for an extended period once Line 2 opens back up.
While these two tubes are closed, LIRR and Amtrak will share the two remaining tubes.
How does this affect LIRR riders?
According to the MTA, the East River Tunnel shut down will result in service disruptions for the 125,000 straphangers that ride the LIRR daily. Though Governor Kathy Hochul stated that Amtrak has “agreed to provide enhanced inspections, additional shift crews, and the development of an operational response plan to help mitigate potential impact on commuters throughout the duration of the project.”
Additionally, Amtrak will incorporate the actual experience of the first shutdown, along with the use of third party consultants, to ensure the best approach to the second shutdown.
An Amtrak spokesperson added that they are committed to minimizing impacts to straphangers throughout the duration of the project, and will “provide around-the-clock engineering coverage during the outage, more frequent inspections as track access time permits, strategically positioned rescue equipment, and more.”