The region is in dire need of a new train tunnel under the Hudson River. Planning and engineering for Amtrak’s Gateway project are underway, but must be accelerated. It must also be modified to include an extension to Queens. As currently planned, Gateway service dead-ends at Penn Station. Extending the tracks to Sunnyside Yards in Queens would provide tremendous benefit to the region by providing travelers with direct crosstown service between New Jersey and Long Island, and greatly increase the efficiency of train movements — increasing capacity across the Hudson River by 30 percent and across the East River by 68 percent. Getting shovels in the ground is of critical urgency to the region’s economic vitality and quality of life.
