After more than a decade, Amtrak is celebrating the halfway point of the East River tunnel restoration project, after it was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy. East River Tunnel Line 2 is one of the busiest rail links in the Northern corridor and Amtrak is marking the milestone with a reopening celebration Monday at Penn station.
The project included stripping Line 2 down to its concrete liner and reconstructing key tunnel systems, along with related infrastructure upgrades near Long Island City in Queens. The 1.6 billion rehabilitation project began in May 2025 with the full closure of Line 2 to allow crews maximum access while minimizing disruptions across the region’s rail network.
The tunnel carries more than 450 daily Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit trains, and it underwent a year-long overhaul after the damage it sustained during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Amtrak officials say the 116-year-old tunnel has been modernized and rebuilt to improve reliability and safety for the hundreds of thousands of passengers who use the corridor daily. The tunnel closure contributed to service challenges for commuters. In May, a track fire disrupted rail service into Penn Station for three days, sending some trains to Grand Central Terminal instead.
Amtrak officials said they also completed aboveground work near Long Island City in Queens to make sure related systems were upgraded. “The 116-year-old tunnel is now more modern, reliable and safe for Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit passengers for the next 100+ years,” transportation officials stated.
The East River Tunnel system, which opened in 1910 and connects Penn Station with Queens and the rail corridor to Boston, consists of four tunnel tubes. Amtrak is rehabilitating the two tubes damaged by Sandy, with work on Line 1 expected to begin this fall and continue through the end of 2027.
Lines 3 and 4 do not require any repairs.
