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The East River Tunnels are 4 single-track railroad tunnel
Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon. However, in general tunnels are at least twice as long as they are wide....
s that extend from the eastern ends of 32/33 Streets in Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 to Queens
Queens

Queens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Borough which form the New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a Administrative divisions of New York#County of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States United States....
. The tracks carry Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
 and Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
 trains travelling to and from Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)

Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City....
 and points to the north and east. The tracks also carry New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit

The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the U.S. state of New Jersey, United States, and Orange County, New York and Rockland County, New York counties in New York....
 trains deadheading to Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard

Sunnyside Yard is a large railroad yard in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.When built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century, the yard was the largest passenger rail yard in the world....
. They are part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor

The Northeast Corridor is the busiest passenger railroad line in the United States by ridership and service frequency. The route is fully electrified and serves a BosWash from Washington, D.C., in the south through Baltimore, Maryland, Wilmington, Delaware, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, New York City, New Haven, Con...
; trains travelling between New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 and Boston, among other destinations, use the tunnels.

The tunnels were built in the first decade of the 20th century as part of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad
Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad

The New York Tunnel Extension , owned by the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, was an important part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, comprising the tunnels and approaches from New Jersey and Long Island to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan....
, providing a connection between the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 train station, Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)

Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City....
, and the railroad's Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard

Sunnyside Yard is a large railroad yard in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.When built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century, the yard was the largest passenger rail yard in the world....
.






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The East River Tunnels are 4 single-track railroad tunnel
Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon. However, in general tunnels are at least twice as long as they are wide....
s that extend from the eastern ends of 32/33 Streets in Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 to Queens
Queens

Queens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Borough which form the New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a Administrative divisions of New York#County of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States United States....
. The tracks carry Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
 and Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
 trains travelling to and from Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)

Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City....
 and points to the north and east. The tracks also carry New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit

The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the U.S. state of New Jersey, United States, and Orange County, New York and Rockland County, New York counties in New York....
 trains deadheading to Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard

Sunnyside Yard is a large railroad yard in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.When built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century, the yard was the largest passenger rail yard in the world....
. They are part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor

The Northeast Corridor is the busiest passenger railroad line in the United States by ridership and service frequency. The route is fully electrified and serves a BosWash from Washington, D.C., in the south through Baltimore, Maryland, Wilmington, Delaware, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, New York City, New Haven, Con...
; trains travelling between New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 and Boston, among other destinations, use the tunnels.

The tunnels were built in the first decade of the 20th century as part of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad
Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad

The New York Tunnel Extension , owned by the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, was an important part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, comprising the tunnels and approaches from New Jersey and Long Island to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan....
, providing a connection between the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 train station, Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)

Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City....
, and the railroad's Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard

Sunnyside Yard is a large railroad yard in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.When built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century, the yard was the largest passenger rail yard in the world....
. At the time of construction, the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
 was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the tunnels allowed the Long Island Rail Road its first (and to date only) direct access to Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
. The tunnels opened, along with Pennsylvania Station, in 1910. They are currently owned by Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
. They are electrified by both third rail
Third rail

A third rail is a method of providing electricity to power a rail transport through a continuous rigid conductor alongside the railway track or between the rails....
 and overhead catenary
Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point....
. Diesel-powered locomotives are banned from the tunnels under normal operation because of ventilation concerns.

See also


  • North River Tunnels
    North River Tunnels

    The North River Tunnels carry Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and New Jersey Transit rail lines under the North River between Weehawken, New Jersey, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City....