Wedoany.com Report-Jan.1, Work on the new Hudson rail tunnel is scheduled to advance this spring, with two custom-built tunnel boring machines (TBMs) en route to New Jersey, United States. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced that manufacturing and factory acceptance testing of the first two TBMs for the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP) have been completed.

The TBMs are set to build about one mile of the new tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

The first TBM components will begin arriving at the construction site in January, with on-site assembly and testing expected to take approximately three months. Tunnel boring is set to start in the spring. The second TBM will ship in early 2026, with components arriving in March and boring operations scheduled to begin in the summer.

Both machines will be assembled at the base of the Palisades in North Bergen, New Jersey. They will drive two parallel bores simultaneously through the Palisades Tunnel segment, constructing about one mile of the new rail tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. As they advance, the TBMs will install concrete lining segments behind the cutterhead. Each machine is designed to achieve an average progress rate of about 30 feet per day under suitable ground conditions.

These TBMs are single-shield machines specifically engineered for the hard rock conditions encountered in the Palisades. They represent a significant engineering achievement, as they are massive and highly complex pieces of equipment custom-built for this project.

Thomas Prendergast, GDC CEO, said: “These TBMs are not standard construction equipment. They are massive, highly complex machines that have been custom-built for the Hudson Tunnel Project. Producing them is an impressive feat in-and-of itself. The two years of work that our teams on the ground in New Jersey have done to prepare for the arrival of the TBMs is just as impressive.”

In a joint statement, GDC commissioners said: “We are on the verge of a new phase of the Hudson Tunnel Project. When the two tunnel boring machines that were manufactured this year begin their journey under the Palisades, it will represent a major step forward for the project.”

The Palisades Tunnel contract was awarded in August last year to the Schiavone Dragados Lane joint venture. This was the first tunnel boring package issued under the overall Hudson Tunnel Program.

The arrival and deployment of these TBMs mark a critical transition from site preparation to active tunneling. The project will enhance rail capacity between New Jersey and New York, improving reliability and supporting increased passenger and commuter services. Preparatory work in North Bergen, including the portal launch box and related infrastructure, has been progressing steadily to receive the machines.

This development demonstrates steady advancement in one of the region's most important rail infrastructure initiatives, with the focus now shifting to the execution of underground excavation in the coming months.