NEWARK (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie, New Jersey's two U.S. senators and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said after a meeting on Tuesday that they will work together to pay for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, including working to obtain federal grant money and other financing options for the estimated $14 billion project.

Meeting about a new Hudson River train tunnel in Sen. Cory Booker's office (@CoryBooker via Twitter)
Meeting about a new Hudson River train tunnel in Sen. Cory Booker's office (@CoryBooker via Twitter)
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Christie, Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez and Foxx said in a joint statement that they had a "substantive and productive meeting" and "all of us are committed to working together on a path forward on this critical project."

The meeting was notable for the absence of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a major stakeholder in the proposed project to build a second tunnel, add track capacity and expand New York's Penn Station.

Foxx reached out to Cuomo and Christie last month after electrical problems in the existing 105-year-old tunnel caused delays on several days, further incensing commuters who already contend with regular backups on the nation's busiest rail corridor.

"The state of New Jersey supports the Gateway project and is committed to developing a framework with the federal government to begin it," the officials said in the statement. "We all recognize that the only way forward is equitable distribution of funding responsibility and the active participation of all parties. As commuters can attest, we cannot afford further delay."

In a letter three weeks ago, Foxx invited the two governors to discuss the project, but Cuomo, a Democrat, said last week that he would not attend, saying a meeting to discuss the tunnel project was premature until the federal government committed to a sizeable investment. "There's no reason to meet now," he said last week. "They need to put their money where their mouth is."

On Thursday, The Associated Press asked a Cuomo spokeswoman about Tuesday's meeting and was told the governor's stance had not changed. On Tuesday, however, Cuomo's office seemingly backtracked, saying they had not been invited to Tuesday's meeting.

Spokeswoman Dani Lever said the Cuomo administration understood that Tuesday's meeting would focus on "New Jersey transportation infrastructure" and not the tunnel.

"It was our administration's understanding that this was a separate meeting" than the one called by Foxx to discuss the tunnel project, Lever said.

Last month's electrical failures, centered on 80-year-old cables likely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, reignited the debate over how to pay for a second tunnel and other improvements.

Meanwhile, rail experts and Amtrak officials say that, while a new tunnel will improve reliability, it won't suddenly double the number of trains between New Jersey and New York; the existing tunnel will be closed for repairs for a minimum of two years once a new one is built.

In addition, two new tracks will need to be added between New Jersey stations Newark and Secaucus, where two currently exist. And, perhaps more critical, New York's Penn Station needs to be expanded to accommodate the increased traffic.

Some elements of the project are already in motion. For example, environmental and design work has been completed for a replacement for the 105-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, a regular source of delays. And regulatory approval for Amtrak to address adding capacity on the tracks and in Penn Station, a process begun in 2012, could be completed sometime next year.

The rest will be dictated by when, and how much, funding is available.

 

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