![]() ![]() Senator Robert Gordon, D-Bergen, who called the hearing said he’s hoping it will convince Christie and federal lawmakers of the seriousness of the problem. Stephen Gardner, Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief of NEC Business Development, said it would take a recurring investment of at least $4 billion a year to replace aging infrastructure, including the 105-year-old Hudson River tunnels and the century old Portal Bridge… Larry Higgs had more:Īmtrak officials told a state Senate panel that it needs at least $1 billion a year to bring its system into a state of good repair and that the canceled ARC tunnel would have provided some help if a Hudson River tunnel were forced out of service for repair. It may be enough to silence Cuomo and get him to the table, but it would also require Capitol Hill to pick up over $11 billion of what is today expected to be a $14 billion project. In a Senate hearing during which the rail agency presented a rather dire picture of future operations without substantial capital support and a new tunnel, agency officials proposed a funding solution involving the feds. Meanwhile, Amtrak has suggested a way forward. Cuomo can’t even seem to bridge that divide, and I don’t see how this is helping us - the New Yorkers who are his constituents. Chris Christie, he of the canceled ARC Tunnel, at least committed to meet with the feds later this month because Senator Cory Booker requested it. On the need to draw out federal dollars, Cuomo has a very valid point, but his rhetoric is parochial nonsense that hurts New York far more than it helps. I said my piece on Cuomo’s misguided opposition to supporting a trans-Hudson rail tunnel in yesterday’s post, and he’s just making it worse. ![]() “Because the Tappan Zee Bridge is a state bridge,” he said. My problem is repaying the loan.”Ī reporter asked him why he was willing to take on debt for a new Tappan Zee Bridge. “The federal government said they would provide funding and it turns out they would provide a loan and no more than a loan. “There’s no moral, legal or ethical reason why the state should be looked at to fund it, or the states plural, New Jersey and New York,” said Cuomo on Monday. Here’s how Dana Rubinstein of the newly-rebranded Politico New York reported on the exchange: The New New York Bridge, on the other hand, is his bridge, and Cuomo grew defensive when challenged on this project - one inarguably far less important to New York City than trans-Hudson rail capacity. It is an Amtrak tunnel that is used by Amtrak and by New Jersey Transit.” “Why don’t you pay for it? It’s not my tunnel. “It’s not my tunnel,” he said, showing more of his cards than he probably intended. Speaking to reporters after a day of Amtrak testimony in front of the New Jersey Senate, Cuomo continued his game of high-stakes chicken. Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday, for the third day out of four, stressed his view that a trans-Hudson tunnel will not happen without significant federal support and again stated his opposition to even a meeting on the issue. The bickering is heating up over a trans-Hudson rail tunnel. ![]()
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