Images | New York-New Jersey Hudson Tunnel railway TBMs nearly assembled

The first machine is 85% complete and the second 73%.

Both are expected to finish factory assembly by November before shipment to New Jersey, US, for reassembly. Each TBM measures 28-ft 8-in (7.8m) in diameter and extends 500 ft (15.2m) in length with gantries. Weighing 1,680 tons, the machines are equipped with more than 1,000 sensors to monitor underground positioning, wear on components, air quality, and other safety metrics.

The TBMs will drive the first mile of the new passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson River, installing precast concrete liners as they progress. Each machine will advance about 30 ft (9.1m) per day, with tunnelling of both parallel tubes expected to take around a year.

New York’s massive Hudson Tunnel Project awards TBM contract The Hudson Tunnel Project in New York has awarded a contract for tunnel boring

Boring is scheduled to start in 2026 from the Tonnelle Avenue launch shaft in North Bergen, New Jersey.

GDC CEO Tom Prendergast said,“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.”

Alongside the TBM update, GDC authorised a new contract with joint venture Gateway Trans Hudson Partnership Engineering (GTHPE) as engineer of record for all remaining Hudson Tunnel Project packages. GTHPE is comprised of lead WSP USA (US subsidiary of Canada-based WSP Global), Aecom, STV Inc., and Naik Consulting Group.

Hudson Tunnel Project timeline

The shield of one of the Hudson Tunnel Project tunnel boring machines. Image: Gateway Development Commission

The Hudson Tunnel Project will add a new two-track tunnel under the Hudson River and rehabilitate the century-old North River Tunnel between New York City and the state of New Jersey. Preparatory work including the Tonnelle Avenue overpass and Hudson River ground stabilisation is under way.

Full tunnel boring will begin in 2026, with major civil works continuing through the late 2020s. The new tunnel is expected to enter service in 2035, after which the existing North River Tunnel will close for a three-year rehabilitation, concluding in 2038.

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Images: Gateway Development Commission