MANHATTAN (WABC) — Amtrak has reopened Line 2 of the East River Tunnel, marking the halfway point of a restoration project that began more than a decade after Superstorm Sandy. Amtrak marked the milestone with a reopening celebration Monday at Penn Station. The tunnel, which carries more than 450 Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit trains daily, underwent a year-long overhaul after suffering damage 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 rely on the corridor every day. The project included dismantling Line 2 to its concrete lining and rebuilding key tunnel systems, along with related infrastructure improvements near Long Island City in Queens. “They installed new tracks, drainage, power, communications, state-of-the-art safety systems and other key infrastructure throughout the three-mile tunnel, all in just over a year,” said Amtrak Acting President Byl Herrmann. Senator Chuck Schumer, who helped provide funding for the project, reacted to the important milestone. “After Superstorm Sandy flooded these tunnels with 14 million gallons of corrosive salt water, I was proud to fight and hand over the $1.3 billion to fix it,” he said in a statement. “Today, Long Islanders can finally see the light at the end of the East River Tunnel, paving the way for safer, faster commutes.” The tunnel closure reduced LIRR capacity by 20%, contributing to some service challenges for commuters. In May, a track fire disrupted rail service at Penn Station for three days, sending some trains to Grand Central Terminal. The railroad hosted a press conference and ceremonial train ride through the rehabilitated tunnel on Monday afternoon. The rehabilitation project began in May 2025 with the complete closure of Line 2 to allow crews maximum access and minimize disruptions to the region’s rail network. level of planning and risk reduction that emerged in this project,” said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber. The MTA was so concerned about the project’s potential impact that Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Amtrak to perform the work at night and on weekends, a request that engineers refused to accept. When asked how much longer the project would have taken if the work had been restricted to nights and weekends, Amtrak’s Warren LeBeau said: “It would have taken years, years longer.” The East River Tunnel System, which opened in 1910 and connects Penn Station to Queens and the rail corridor to Boston, consists of four tunnel tubes. Amtrak is rehabilitating the two tubes damaged by Sandy, and work on Line 1 is expected to begin this fall and continue through the end of 2027. Lines 3 and 4 do not currently require rehabilitation.———-* Get Eyewitness News delivered * More New York City news York* Send us a news tip* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Download our Connected TV app Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness NewsHave a breaking news tip or idea for a story we should cover? Submit it to Eyewitness News using the form below If you attach a video or photo, the terms of use apply Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV All Rights Reserved. rights.
