November/December 2023 - 8

People & Places
while keeping the street above intact.
The front of the TBM includes a cutter-head,
which rotates to dig through
soil and rock. The material will then be
removed through a conveyor system
within the machine.
MassTransitmag.com/53077435
Amtrak was joined by Hudson Tunnel Project's sponsor, Gateway Development Commission,
USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy
and other officials to celebrate the start of construction of the Hudson Tunnel project.
Photo: Amtrak
MTA to begin roll out of new R211A subway cars
in 2024
Photo: MTA
Construction begins on Hudson
River Tunnel project
Construction has started on the Hudson Tunnel Project. The project is
one of the largest infrastructure projects in U.S. history and a key component
of the Gateway Program, an effort to revitalize the Northeast Corridor by
improving the rail infrastructure along a 10-mile segment. The scope of the
Hudson Tunnel Project includes the construction of a two-track Hudson
River rail tunnel between Bergen Palisades in New Jersey and New York
Penn Station in Manhattan and rehabilitation of the existing North River
Tunnel, which sustained significant damage during Superstorm Sandy. The
project's purpose and need is to both maintain the level of service provided
by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit through the existing North River Tunnel
and improve overall reliability, resiliency and redundancy of the rail conduit
between New Jersey and New York.
MassTransitmag.com/53077337
MTA to begin roll out of new
R211A subway cars in 2024
▶ The Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) will take the first step
in its plan to improve safety and accessibility
to riders by phasing in five
R211 subway cars on the Staten Island
Railway in early 2024. The cars are part
of a 535-car order, which includes 440
R211A standard cars with state-of-theart
amenities, 75 Staten Island Railway
cars and 20 cars with the open gangway
feature. The R211 cars are a critical
part of the MTA's ongoing modernization
efforts and feature 58-inch-wide
door openings that are eight inches
wider than standard door openings on
existing cars - designed to speed up
boarding and reduce the amount of
time trains sit in stations.
MassTransitmag.com/53075614
Santa Clara VTA purchases
$76 million TBM for BART
Silicon Valley Phase II Project
▶ The Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority has purchased the Tunnel
Boring Machine (TBM) that will dig the
tunnel for the Bay Area Rapid Transit
Silicon Valley Phase II Project. The tunnel
will contain five miles of train tracks
in both directions and three station
platforms to provide safe and efficient
travel separated from congested
roadways. The $76 million TBM will
be one of the largest machines ever
to be built and will remove soil deep
from underground forming the tunnel
Sound Transit enters prerevenue
phase on East Link
light-rail extension project
▶ Sound Transit has entered the
Santa Clara VTA has purchased a $76 million
TBM for BSVII Project.
Photo: Santa Clara VTA
8 Mass Transit | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
pre-revenue phase on the East Link
light-rail extension project. The phase
includes training for operators and
maintenance staff and continued testing
to ensure stations, tracks, utilities
and vehicles work together as expected
in preparation for the start of service in
spring 2024. Light-rail vehicles will run
frequently between the South Bellevue
and Redmond Technology stations,
including at street crossings in the BelRed
area.
MassTransitmag.com/53076928
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53077435 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53077337 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53075614 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53076928
November/December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2023
