Tuesday Headlines: Not A Bore Edition

The long-awaited Gateway Hudson Tunnel project is finally entering its tunneling phase.

Gov. Hochul marked the start of tunnel boring for the Hudson Tunnel Project yesterday, which will add a new rail connection between New York and New Jersey and eventually allow the existing, century-old North River Tunnel to undergo rehabilitation.

“Building a new rail connection across the Hudson River has been a dream for over a generation,” Hochul said. “We fought and beat efforts from the Trump administration to halt the Gateway project and today, that dream becomes a reality.”

The first tunnel boring machine is expected to begin digging in the coming days, with a second machine following soon after. The machines will bore about a mile through the Palisades in New Jersey before reaching an access shaft in Weehawken.

The new tunnel is intended to improve reliability and resilience along one of the nation’s busiest rail corridors, which carries more than 200,000 daily riders between New York and New Jersey.

Elsewhere in The Empire State:

• The MTA scrapped three planned December weekend shutdowns of the G train between Greenpoint and Long Island City after finishing tunnel repairs ahead of schedule, following pushback from North Brooklyn business owners who said earlier closures cut sales by at least 22 percent. (amNewYork)
• The Economic Development Corporation’s board is expected to vote Wednesday on raising the base NYC Ferry fare from $4.50 to $5 starting Oct. 19, along with a $1 bump for the 10-trip pass and a discounted fare for middle school students. (The City Reporter)
• As North Adams, Mass., considers banning e-bikes from sidewalks and Schenectady weighs its own restrictions, a Johns Hopkins researcher said e-bike riders are 62 percent more likely than standard cyclists to be hospitalized after a crash. (WAMC)
• Richard O’Brien, a 41-year-old steamfitter and father of two, died Sunday after a cyclist struck him while he walked to work in Central Park on Sept. 23, and police said the 32-year-old rider has not been charged. (Newsday)
• At least four immigrant yellow cab drivers died on the job this summer, and the Taxi Workers Alliance says drivers are trapped by fixed weekly lease payments that push them to keep working through illness. (Gothamist)
• Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who said she won’t seek reelection, is backing Assembly Member Nikki Lucas to succeed her, while reform-faction lawyers plan to ask a court to block Tuesday’s executive committee vote. (City & State)
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrapped a three-city Upstate tour in Syracuse, where she launched a five-week effort to re-engage inactive Democratic voters that her campaign says will target 6,314 people in Onondaga County. (Central Current)
• Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley sparred over tariffs, immigration enforcement, energy costs and Israel aid in their first televised debate in the tossup 17th District race. (The New York Times)
• The Newburgh City Council was set to vote Monday night on ending its use of Flock license plate readers, after audit logs showed Texas police included the city’s data in a 2025 search for a woman who “had an abortion.” (WAMC)