By LARRY HIGGS of the Asbury Park Press
Amtrak officials have pulled the plug on talks about a shared tunnel project with NJ Transit, using engineering and design work already done.
But advocates, who pressed to have the original tunnel project serve New York’s Penn Station, said it’s in the interest of both agencies to keep working together to hang onto $3 billion in federal funds that the state is otherwise expected to lose.
Also known as Access to the Region’s Core, the $9.7 billion tunnel project and deep cavern station under New York’s 34th Street was canceled by Gov. Chris Christie over concern about cost overruns that could push the price tag to $14 billion.
Using NJ Transit’s engineering for a joint tunnel was ruled out because the ARC project designs aren’t conducive for intercity train travel, said Clifford Cole, Amtrak spokesman. That design had tracks ending in a dead-end station under 34th Street.
Amtrak officials said in a release they “remain open to exploring ways to expand trans-Hudson passenger rail capacity with NJ Transit, but Amtrak’s primary interest is in advancing Northeast Corridor high-speed rail service.”
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