63rd Street Tunnel

For the subway line that uses this tunnel to travel under the East River, see 63rd Street Lines.

63rd Street Tunnel
The 63rd Street Tunnel, in the context of the East Side Access project
Overview
Line63rd Street Line (F and <F> train)
Main Line (LIRR trains)
LocationEast River between Manhattan and Queens, New York City
Coordinates40°45′36″N 73°57′18″W / 40.76000°N 73.95500°W / 40.76000; -73.95500
SystemNew York City Subway
Long Island Rail Road
Operation
OpenedOctober 29, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-10-29) (upper level)
January 25, 2023; 21 months ago (2023-01-25) (lower level)
OperatorMetropolitan Transportation Authority
Technical
Length3,140 feet (960 m) between shafts[1]
No. of tracks4 (2 subway, 2 LIRR)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrifiedThird rail, 600 V DC (upper level)
Third rail, 750 V DC (lower level)
Width38.5 feet (11.7 m)[1][2]

The 63rd Street Tunnel is a double-deck subway and railroad tunnel under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens in New York City. Opened in 1989, it is the newest of the East River tunnels, as well as the newest rail river crossing in the New York metropolitan area. The upper level of the 63rd Street Tunnel carries the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway. The lower level carries Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains to Grand Central as part of the East Side Access project.

Construction of the 63rd Street Tunnel began in 1969. The tunnel was holed through beneath Roosevelt Island in 1972, but completion of the tunnel and its connections was delayed by the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. The upper level was opened in 1989, twenty years after construction started. The lower level was not opened at that time because of the cancellation of the LIRR route to Manhattan. The tunnel was long referred to as the "tunnel to nowhere" because its Queens end did not connect to any other subway line until 2001. Construction on the East Side Access project, which uses the lower level, started in 2006; the lower level opened on January 25, 2023. During construction, the lower level was used to move materials between the work sites in Manhattan and staging areas in Queens.

  1. ^ a b Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. pp. 62–63.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ita-aites was invoked but never defined (see the help page).