As President Trump continued to insist this week that he had killed funding for a brand new tunnel underneath the Hudson River, Andy Byford, his choose to steer the redevelopment of Penn Station — which might connect with that tunnel — mentioned he was “not unduly fazed” by the funding menace, including, “I think this will all play out as part of the [government] shutdown.”
Byford — formally a particular adviser to the Amtrak board overseeing the federally led redesign of the Midtown transit hub — made the remark to reporters Wednesday after addressing the New York Constructing Congress, a building trade group.
It comes three weeks after the Trump administration introduced, within the early hours of the continued authorities shutdown, that funding for the Hudson River Tunnel — the first element of the Gateway Mission, meant to double the variety of rail traces between New Jersey and Penn Station — was being paused pending a procedural evaluate.
In current days, nonetheless, Trump has mentioned in various media interviews that he has “terminated” the challenge — ensuring to level out that Senate Minority Chief and Trump foil Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has advocated for the tunnel for greater than a decade.
“Billions and billions of dollars that Schumer has worked 20 years to get — it’s terminated,” the president informed reporters final week when requested concerning the funding maintain. “Tell him, ‘It’s terminated.’”
Amtrak particular advisor Andy Byford addressed federal transit funding issues Wednesday following a presentation to the New York Constructing Congress commerce group. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Every day Information)
“We’re cutting a $20 billion project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get,” he mentioned.
“I’m cutting the project,” he went on. “The project is going to be dead. It’s pretty much dead right now.”
At a Rose Backyard look Tuesday, Trump once more referenced the challenge, however equivocated.
The president mentioned, “$20 billion, we’re cutting. They’re never going to get it back.”
“They may not get it back,” he instantly hedged. “Maybe we’ll talk to them about it.”
Regardless of declarations on the contrary, work on the $16 billion tunnel has continued over the previous three weeks — although the feds have put a maintain on any reimbursements for the challenge. A supply conversant in the state of affairs mentioned the challenge can proceed for a number of extra months earlier than its coffers run dry.
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The tunnel is the primary and most important section of the Gateway Mission, which can double the variety of rail traces throughout the New Jersey Meadowlands, permitting repairs to the present North River Tunnel that carries Amtrak and NJ Transit trains into Penn Station from the west and in the end doubling the variety of trains that may cross underneath the Hudson at one time.
Although it’s a separate challenge from the one which Byford’s been given — a complete overhaul of Penn Station and its operations — the 2 are essentially intertwined.
“We’ve got to accommodate passenger growth,” Byford informed gathered members of the development trade Wednesday, “The Gateway Project will deliver a lot more trains coming in, so we must make sure that we’ve got the space to accommodate that.”
Byford repeatedly emphasised that he has Trump’s full assist to remodel Penn Station.
“We cannot wait any longer to unlock the potential of the station, and we [have] support directly from the White House to do so,” he mentioned. “The time for talking is over.”
Amtrak particular adviser Andy Byford addressed federal transit funding issues Wednesday following a presentation to the New York Constructing Congress commerce group. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Every day Information)
Byford acknowledged that, in taking up one of many metropolis’s most intractable transit and actual property issues, “it is going to be difficult to rally all of these disparate views” of what the station — utilized by three totally different railroads — ought to turn into.
If he meets with resistance, Byford mentioned to some laughs inside the room, “My trump card is — the Trump card.”
The White Home, Byford famous, will even log off on the ultimate proposal for the Penn Station design.
“Gateway’s really important, in that it will deliver not only more trains coming from the west to accommodate growth in New Jersey through the new tunnels, but it will also provide a critical addition to infrastructure,” Byford informed reporters later when concerning the president’s statements.
“I’m not unduly fazed by what’s going on at the moment,” he continued. “I think there’s an element of politics. I think that this will all play out as part of, potentially, the shutdown in government.”
Crews proceed to work on digging the Hudson River Tunnel on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Every day Information)
“What I do know is that we need to continue to make improvements in infrastructure, not just at Penn but across the whole tristate region,” Byford added. “So, certainly we’re making the case to continue having funding for Gateway and for Penn Station.”
Requested concerning the Trump administration’s broader efforts to defund New York Metropolis’s transit programs — together with the Second Ave. subway, congestion pricing income, and even a crosstown busway in Midtown — the previous NYC Transit head demurred.
Initially Revealed: October 22, 2025 at 4:56 PM EDT
