📋 Tender Overview
ScopeThe Gateway Program originally Gateway Project is the planned phased expansion and renovation of the Northeast Corridor NEC rail line between Newark New Jersey and New York City New York. The right-of-way runs between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station NYP. The project would build new rail bridges in the New Jersey Meadowlands and new tunnels under Bergen Hill Hudson Palisades and the Hudson River as well as expand NYP through conversion of part of the James Farley Post Office into a train station and construction of a terminal annex.The existing two-track rail line used by both Amtrak and NJ Transit Rail Operations NJT has reached its full capacity of 24 trains per hour. Once completed the improvements would double train capacity across the Hudson River to 48 trains per hour allowing for additional high-speed rail service.1Gateway was unveiled in 2011 one year after Governor Chris Christies cancellation of the somewhat similar Access to the Regions Core ARC project and was originally projected to cost 14.5 billion and take 14 years to build.2 As of 2016 the proposed project would cost about US20 billion and would be completed in 2026.3 Some previously planned improvements already underway were incorporated into the Gateway program. New construction of a tunnel box that would preserve the right-of-way on Manhattans West Side began in September 2013 using 185 million in recovery and resilience funding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.The need for the Gateway Program increased after Hurricane Sandy damaged the existing North River tunnels.4 A draft environmental impact statement for the Gateway Program was released in July 2017.5 Funding for the project had been unclear for several years due to a lack of funding commitments from state and federal government.6 As of March 2018 up to 541 million for the project was provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act.7The Gateway Project was unveiled on February 7 2011 by Boardman and New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez.82910 The announcement also included endorsements from New York Senator Charles Schumer and Amtraks Board of Directors. Officials said Amtrak would take the lead in seeking financing a list of potential sources included the states of New York and New Jersey the City of New York the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey PANYNJ and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA as well as private investors.111213By late 2011 two parts of the project were underway the replacement of the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River and the development of Moynihan Station in Manhattan. Environmental impact statements had been completed and the design and engineering of the new bridges had begun.1415161718 The ceremonial groundbreaking of the first phase of the conversion of the James Farley Post Office to a new Moynihan Station took place in October 2010.19 S
