On December 15, 2025, the Gateway Development Commission announced at a board meeting that the first two tunnel boring machines for the Hudson Tunnel Project have finished manufacturing and factory acceptance testing, marking a key milestone in the project’s construction.
The commission said the machines will now be shipped to New Jersey for on-site assembly at the base of the Palisades in North Bergen. Components of the first tunnel boring machine are expected to arrive in January through Port Elizabeth in New Jersey and Baltimore in Maryland, before being transported by truck to the construction site.
Assembly and testing of the first machine
According to the commission, crews expect assembly and testing of the first machine at the North Bergen site to take approximately three months, keeping it on schedule to begin tunnel boring in the spring. Meanwhile, a second tunnel boring machine is scheduled to ship in early 2026, with components arriving at the site in March. Tunnel boring using the second machine should begin in the summer.
The two tunnel boring machines were custom-built for the project. They will excavate approximately one mile of new rail tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. In addition, the machines will bore two parallel tunnel tubes simultaneously and install concrete tunnel liners as excavation progresses. Each machine should advance at about 30 feet per day.
Also, the commission reported that crews completed factory acceptance testing for the first tunnel boring machine in September, while they tested the second machine in early December.
The update came as part of a broader construction progress report covering five active Hudson Tunnel Project contracts. The commission also noted the completion of a bridge structure and the opening of a passage beneath Tonnelle Avenue, which crews required to deliver tunnel boring machine components to
Progress Update
Additionally, crews excavated the portal launch box at the base of the Palisades, started construction on the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing. Section 3 tunnel box, and conducted deep soil mixing operations in the Hudson River. Furthermore, the commission reported crews stabilized approximately 60,000 square feet of riverbed and shifted a temporary cofferdam east toward Manhattan to access a new section.
The commission also said workers installed guide walls and began slurry wall construction for access shafts in Hudson County, New Jersey, and along 12th Avenue in New York. They are also performing ground stabilization in Hudson River Park and on temporary marine structures in the Hudson River ahead of tunnel boring.
On May 20, 2025, the Gateway Development Commission reported that construction on Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 (HYCC-3) has passed the halfway point, representing a milestone for the Hudson Tunnel Project.
Hudson Tunnel Project Factsheet
Major Milestone Achieved
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has completed manufacturing and testing of the first two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for the Hudson Tunnel Project—the nation’s most urgent passenger rail infrastructure project.
TBM Specifications & Timeline
Purpose: Build approximately one mile of new rail tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River
Capacity: Two parallel tunnel tubes constructed simultaneously at 30 feet per day each
Features: Custom-built machines that install concrete tunnel liner during boring process
Delivery Schedule
TBM 1: Components arrive January 2025 (Port Elizabeth, NJ & Baltimore, MD) → 3-month assembly → Boring begins spring 2025
TBM 2: Ships early 2026 → Components arrive March 2026 → Boring begins summer 2026
Current Construction Activities
Tonnelle Avenue bridge completed, passage opened for TBM component delivery
Portal launch box excavation underway at Palisades base
Hudson Yards Concrete Casing (Section 3) construction started
60,000 sq ft of Hudson River riverbed stabilized through deep soil mixing
Access shaft construction initiated at Hudson County (NJ) and 12th Avenue (NY)
Ground stabilization in Hudson River Park and Manhattan bulkhead area
