From: jgrove24@hotmail.com   
      
   "NEW YORK - The federal government will fund half of a planned $20 billion   
   commuter rail tunnel linking New Jersey and New York under the Hudson River in   
   an agreement announced on Thursday by the states' governors.   
      
   The broad agreement on financing is a step forward for a long-standing project   
   that aims to alleviate congestion on one of the busiest commuter corridors in   
   the United States.   
      
   The project still is in the planning stage. National rail operator Amtrak has   
   said it expects construction to start in 2019-2021 with completion of the   
   tunnel in 2030. The dates are contingent on financing, Amtrak said in August.   
      
   The agreement establishes the Gateway Development Corporation to oversee the   
   project. The corporation will be run by the New York and New Jersey Port   
   Authority, Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation.   
      
   U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has said the project could cost at   
   least $20 billion although Amtrak has said a reliable cost forecast has not   
   been developed yet because the project is still in the planning and design   
   phase.   
      
   The new corporation will access low-cost federal loans to fund the states'   
   portion, the statement from Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York and Chris   
   Christie of New Jersey said.   
      
   Plans to build a new tunnel under the Hudson River have proved controversial   
   because of the cost. Just after taking office in 2010, Christie canceled a   
   Hudson River tunnel project called Access to the Region's Core, saying the   
   price was likely to    
   skyrocket and citing his state's lack of funding ability."   
      
   http://www.ajot.com/news/update-1-federal-government-to-finance-   
   alf-of-20-bln-new-york-new-jersey-t   
      
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