Newark Penn Station Updates

Timeline: Portal North Bridge first track in service March 2026; Hudson Tunnel completion ~2035

Newark Penn benefits indirectly from the Gateway Program's two headline projects. The replacement Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack — a fixed span that no longer has to open for river traffic — carried its first train on March 13, 2026, with a second cutover phase due in fall 2026 to move the remaining track onto the new span (the project came in roughly a year early and under its $1.5B budget). NJ Transit has not yet announced dates or a duration for that second cutover, but expect disruption comparable to the first one in February–March 2026, which ran about four weeks on a reduced schedule. The 116-year-old swing bridge it replaces was the single biggest source of NEC delays. Separately, the new Hudson River rail tunnel is in active construction (7 of the 10 packages underway; the first tunnel-boring machine is expected to launch on the New Jersey side in 2026, with boring beneath the river itself from 2028). On June 30, 2026 a federal judge permanently barred the administration from withholding the project's funding, securing the ~$16B tunnel; the new tunnel is targeted for service around 2035, after which the existing 1910 North River Tunnel will be rehabilitated (targeted ~2038).

Source: Amtrak / NJ Transit press releases; Gateway Development Commission (gatewayprogram.org)

Timeline: Ongoing through 2027

A five-year, $190M State of New Jersey investment in the 1935 station. Work includes interior and exterior cleaning of the limestone walls, restoration of the original Pennsylvania Railroad benches, brighter lighting and fresh paint, historic tile restoration in the stairwells, updated restrooms, new air curtains at the entrances, improved HVAC, two additional elevators to the platforms, upgraded overhead platform signage, better lighting on the Market Street and Edison Place pedestrian walkways, and historic art installations. A parallel master-planning process is addressing longer-term station access and connectivity. Work is phased to minimize service disruption.

Source: NJ Transit ("Newark Penn Station — Reimagining an Icon"); NJ Transit Capital Plan

Timeline: Major construction underway; new system expected to open ~2030

The Port Authority is replacing the entire Newark AirTrain monorail with a new $3.5B system; guideway construction began in late 2025. Since January 15, 2026, AirTrain service has been suspended on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., with shuttle buses (every 4–5 minutes) connecting the airport rail station to all terminals during the outage. The summer pause ends soon: Phase 2 weekday outages (5 a.m.–3 p.m., between the Airport Train Station and P4) run September 8 – October 29, 2026, then pause for the holiday season from October 30 through January 15, 2027. Further outage phases are planned in 2027–2028 as construction progresses.

Source: Port Authority of NY & NJ; NJ Transit advisories