Newark Penn Station Updates

Timeline: Portal North Bridge first track in service March 2026; final cutover October 9, 2026 – November 14, 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 (the project came in roughly a year early and under its $1.5B budget). The second and final cutover, moving the remaining track onto the new span, runs from October 9, 2026 to November 14, 2026: trains share a single track between Newark and Secaucus, NJ Transit runs a cutover timetable from October 11, 2026 on every line except Atlantic City, and weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex, Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton lines run to Hoboken instead of New York Penn, with tickets cross-honored on PATH and NY Waterway. Regular schedules are due to resume the day after the work ends, subject to safety testing. 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 was launched at North Bergen on September 28, 2026 for a roughly one-mile drive through the Palisades to Weehawken, 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 administration appealed, then dropped the appeal on September 18, 2026); 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. Weekday service outages began on January 15, 2026, with shuttle buses (every 4–5 minutes) connecting the airport rail station to all terminals during each outage. After a pause over the summer travel season, Phase 2 weekday outages run from September 14, 2026 through November 13, 2026 — 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on most weekdays, between the Airport Train Station and P4. AirTrain runs normally on weekends and during some holiday periods. Further outage phases are planned in 2027–2028 as construction progresses.

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