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Your LIRR commute just got a lot more complicated. As of Friday, May 23, Amtrak officially began a three-year, $1.6 billion rehabilitation of the East River Tunnel, a project that has already set the stage for delays, congestion and general commuter chaos.
The work involves a full closure of two of the four century-old tubes beneath the East River, which serve as critical infrastructure for Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. And while Amtrak insists the full gut renovation is necessary to fix lingering damage from Superstorm Sandy, LIRR officials and Governor Kathy Hochul argued for a less disruptive approach.
For months, state leaders pushed for a “repair-in-place” plan, similar to the L train fix, which would have kept daytime schedules intact. But Amtrak held firm, citing safety concerns and the need to fully replace power, signal, track and fire-safety systems to meet modern standards. They maintain that patchwork repairs aren’t feasible in a high-speed, high-voltage environment like this.
Line 2 was taken completely out of service Friday night and will remain offline for 13 months. After that, Line 1 will shut down for another extended stretch. During this time, Amtrak and NJ Transit will prioritize the two remaining tubes, forcing the LIRR to share limited tunnel space and warning of possible schedule disruptions for its 125,000 daily riders.
LIRR leadership previously called a full shutdown “catastrophic,” as reported by the New York Daily News. Amtrak has promised to minimize the pain with extra inspections, more crews and emergency locomotives on standby. Still, the fallout is already being felt.
“With the onset of the spring and summer travel seasons, it’s imperative that New Yorkers have convenient and reliable passenger rail service to help them get where they want and need to go,” said New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “We want to continue to work with Amtrak to find a way to do this work without inflicting unnecessary burdens on New Yorkers.”
Despite the outcry, the project is underway—and your commute may never look the same until 2028. So if your train feels more packed or your schedule is off this week, now you know why. Brace for delays, grab a good book and maybe leave a few minutes earlier—just in case.