SR117

A Senate Resolution urging the Biden Administration to prioritize funding for the Gateway Program.

Whereas, The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the United States; and

Whereas, More than 2,000 intercity and commuter trains, supporting approximately 800,000 passenger trips, use the corridor to make daily trips across eight states and Washington D.C.; and

Whereas, The existing North River Tunnels, which carry the NEC under the Hudson River, are over 100 years old, were severely damaged in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy, and are in a serious state of disrepair; and

Whereas, The Gateway Program (program) was unveiled on February 7, 2011 as a planned phased expansion and renovation of the NEC rail line between Newark, New Jersey and New York City, New York; and

Whereas, The program would build new rail bridges in the New Jersey Meadowlands, new tunnels under Bergen Hill (Hudson Palisades) and the Hudson River, and finance the construction of a new terminal annex; and

Whereas, Since the program’s inception, costs and funding for the project have caused delays and there has been little movement on the overall program, which, cannot move forward without federal support, due to ownership by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), federal permitting requirements, and the regional nature of the project; and

Whereas, Every year the program is delayed, the cost of labor and materials rises; and

Whereas, If the tunnels continue to deteriorate to the point where they must shut down, the United States economy would suffer a $16 billion loss over four years, as noted in a February 2019 report by the Regional Plan Association (RPA); and

Whereas, Additionally, the RPA report noted that a shutdown of the tunnels would cause New Jersey home values to depreciate by $22 billion; and

Whereas, Finally, if the tunnels were closed, service between New Jersey and New York and between Washington, D.C. and Boston would be halted and the roadways would be gridlocked with thousands of additional motorists; and

Whereas, Having traveled frequently on the NEC and having once noted that the Hudson tunnels are “… the lifeline for the northeast,” President Biden and his administration are called upon to prioritize the funding of this integral program; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House urges the Biden Administration to prioritize funding for the Gateway Program.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United State Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress from this State.

STATEMENT

This resolution urges the Biden Administration to prioritize funding for the Gateway Program.

The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the United States, with more than 2,000 intercity and commuter trains, making approximately 800,000 passenger daily trips across eight states and Washington D.C. The existing North River Tunnels, which carry the NEC under the Hudson River, are over 100 years old, were severely damaged in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy, and are in a serious state of disrepair.

The Gateway Program (program) was unveiled on February 7, 2011 as a planned phased expansion and renovation of the NEC rail line between Newark, New Jersey and New York City, New York. The program would build new rail bridges in the New Jersey Meadowlands, new tunnels under Bergen Hill (Hudson Palisades) and the Hudson River, and finance the construction of a new terminal annex.

However, since the program’s inception, costs and funding for the project have caused delays and there has been little movement on the overall program, which, cannot move forward without federal support, due to Amtrak ownership, federal permitting requirements, and the regional nature of the project. Every year the program is delayed, the cost of labor and materials rises. If the tunnels continue to deteriorate to the point where they must shut down, the United States economy would suffer a $16 billion loss over four years, as noted in a February 2019 report by the Regio

nal Plan Association (RPA). Additionally, the RPA report noted that a shutdown of the tunnels would cause New Jersey home values to depreciate by $22 billion. Finally, if the tunnels were closed, service between New Jersey and New York and between Washington, D.C. and Boston would be halted and the roadways would be gridlocked with thousands of additional motorists.

Having traveled frequently on the NEC and having once noted that the Hudson tunnels are “… the lifeline for the northeast,” President Biden and his administration are called upon to prioritize the funding of this integral program.