Hudson Tunnel Project: Why New York's $16 Billion Tunnel Takes Until 2035

Hudson Tunnel Project explained: on Sept. 28, 2026, the first tunnel boring machine for the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River was switched on in North Bergen, N.J. Here's why the $16 billion Gateway tunnel takes until 2035, and why the 1910 North River Tunnel can't simply be fixed first. In this video: why every Amtrak and NJ Transit train between New Jersey and Manhattan uses one tunnel from 1910, what Hurricane Sandy's seawater did to it, how four tunnel boring machines will dig through the Palisades and under the Hudson, why parts of the riverbed have to be rebuilt first, who pays for the $16 billion, how a federal funding freeze stopped the work in February 2026, and why the new tunnel takes until 2035. Watch next - Brightline bankruptcy, America's only private intercity train:    • Brightline Florida Bankruptcy: Why America...   More US megaproject deep dives:    • US Megaprojects Under Construction: Projec...   CHAPTERS 00:00 Hudson Tunnel Project: the boring machine is switched on 01:22 The North River Tunnel: Amtrak and NJ Transit's only way across 03:13 Why the old Hudson River tunnel can't just be fixed 04:51 Four tunnel boring machines, two and a half miles 06:38 Under the Hudson River: the riverbed fights back 08:43 Gateway Program money: who pays the $16 billion 10:00 Why the Hudson Tunnel Project takes until 2035 11:44 The race: the old tunnel vs 2035 SOURCES (checked 4 Oct 2026) Gateway Development Commission press releases: Sept 28, 2026 (start of tunnel boring); Aug 24, 2026 (machine safety); July 8, 2026 (river ground stabilization, Pier 68 piles); June 1, 2026 (NJ surface alignment); Dec 15, 2025 (the machines); July 8, 2024 (the $16 billion funding agreement) AP, Oct 1, 2026; NJ.com; NorthJersey.com; NY1; amNY: the launch, the machines, the May 2026 tunnel fire Hudson Tunnel Project Final EIS and Record of Decision (FRA/FTA, 2021): Sandy damage, project purpose 2014 HNTB assessment for Amtrak (via Rail Passengers Association); Progressive Railroading and Gothamist: Amtrak's 2014 warning Regional Plan Association, "A Preventable Crisis": capacity with one tube closed ENR; Railway Age; New Jersey Monitor; ROI-NJ: contracts, the funding freeze and the court case Amtrak Office of Inspector General (2014); FRA: the Hudson Yards concrete casing Amtrak media releases; ROI-NJ: Portal North Bridge PBS American Experience; 99% Invisible; Wikipedia (North River Tunnels): building the 1910 tunnel USGS; New Jersey Geological Survey: Palisades diabase NYU Marron Institute Transit Costs Project (via Vice): tunnel cost per mile CREDITS Photos from Wikimedia Commons, cropped, colour-graded and animated (licences: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, /by/4.0, /by-sa/2.0, /by-sa/3.0, /by-sa/4.0; public domain / CC0 / no known restrictions where marked). Full file list in the pinned comment. Images adapted from CC BY-SA photos are shared under the same licence (CC BY-SA). Doc Searls (CC BY 2.0): 1 photo 4300streetcar (CC BY 4.0): 2 photos D. Benjamin Miller (CC0): 1 photo George Armstrong / FEMA (Public domain): 1 photo Izthewiz12 (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Joseph Shallit (Public domain): 1 photo William Wirt Mills (1908 book) (No restrictions): 2 photos Detroit Publishing Company (Public domain): 1 photo Hudconja (CC BY-SA 3.0): 2 photos MC1 James Stenberg / U.S. Navy (Public domain): 1 photo Bonnachoven (CC0): 2 photos Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Rauenstein (Public domain): 1 photo Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Atomic Taco (CC BY-SA 2.0): 1 photo Peterbuild (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Eric Fischer (CC BY 2.0): 1 photo Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0): 2 photos King of Hearts (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Pechristener (Public domain): 1 photo Hameltion (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo ENERGY.GOV (Public domain): 1 photo Kidfly182 (CC BY 4.0): 1 photo Antony-22 (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo NJTScottMaas (CC BY-SA 4.0): 1 photo Map imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain); routes approximate. Graphics: made for this video. Some illustrations and one animated shot are AI-generated (Google Flow, Gemini, Veo via vidIQ) and labelled on screen; old photos cleaned up without AI. Music and sound logo: generated with vidIQ. Narration: AI voice (vidIQ). #HudsonTunnelProject #GatewayProgram #Megaprojects