Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel

For the tunnel in Hong Kong, see Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel
Overview
StatusProposed
CrossesNew York Harbor
StartJersey City, New Jersey
EndBay Ridge Brooklyn, New York
Technical
Length30,000 ft (9.1 km) portal-to-portal[1]: 4–32 
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel (also known as the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel) is a proposed freight rail transport tunnel under Upper New York Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey between northeastern New Jersey and Long Island, including southern and eastern New York City.

In November 2014, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released a Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for its Cross Harbor Freight Program.[1] It reviewed four waterborne and four tunnel alternatives. Estimated costs for the waterborne alternatives ranged from $95 to 190 million, and from $7 to 11 billion for the tunnel alternatives. On September 25, 2015, the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement was released,[2] which narrowed the alternatives to two, an enhanced railcar float operation and a basic rail tunnel, both between New Jersey and Brooklyn. A phased plan starting with building the enhanced car float was proposed.

In early May 2017, the Port Authority issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a “Tier II” Environmental Impact Study of the rail tunnel and enhanced railcar float alternatives.[3] A $23.7 million, three-year contract for the Tier II study was awarded in early 2018.[4] The Tier II study was suspended during the COVID-19 crisis, but was restarted in February 2022.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Cross Harbor Freight Program: CHFP Tier 1 EIS Document". panynj.gov. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018.
  2. ^ "Cross Harbor Freight Program: CHFP final Tier 1 EIS Document". panynj.gov. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016.
  3. ^ Frost, Mary (May 8, 2017). "RFP to study Cross-Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel connecting NJ and Brooklyn". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference tier2award was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Gerberer, Raanan (February 9, 2022). "EIS to resume on long-delayed Cross-HarborFreight Program". Brooklyn Eagle.