I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1667 

To require a report on the contingency plan of the Department of Transportation in the event of the failure of a rail track in the North River 

Tunnel, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 11, 2019 

Mr. GOTTHEIMER (for himself and Mr. KING of New York) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To require a report on the contingency plan of the Department of Transportation in the event of the failure of 

a rail track in the North River Tunnel, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Doomsday 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) 200,000 riders travel through the 111 year 

2 old, two-track North River Tunnel under the Hud3 son River daily. 

4 (2) The North River Tunnel serves a region 

5 that is home to 17 percent of the United States pop6 ulation which contributes 20 percent to the national 

7 Gross Domestic Product. 

8 (3) The Northeast Corridor, which is operated 

9 by Amtrak and runs between Boston, Massachusetts 

10 and Washington, DC, has the highest ridership of 

11 any intercity rail line in the United States and runs 

12 directly through the North River Tunnel. 

13 (4) Superstorm Sandy caused $65 billion worth 

14 of damages and 147 direct deaths in 2012, exacer15 bating the need to perform extensive repairs to both 

16 tracks. A new tunnel must be built to keep regular 

17 train service running while the damage is fixed. 

18 (5) According to the Regional Plan Association, 

19 if one of the tracks loses functionality and needs to 

20 be shut down, the national economy could lose $16 

21 billion over a 4-year span, equivalent to the loss of 

22 33,000 jobs. 

23 (6) A tunnel shutdown would significantly de24 crease transportation options in the region, increasVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1667.IH H1667

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1 ing commute times in many cases by more than an 

2 hour a day. 

3 (7) A tunnel shutdown could also cause $22 bil4 lion in decreased property values, $7 billion in lost 

5 tax revenue for Federal, State, and local govern6 ments, and 38,000 additional car crashes. 

7 (8) Currently, only 24 trains can use the tunnel 

8 every hour. That number would drop to 6 in the 

9 event of a shutdown. 

10 (9) The Gateway Program, which incorporates 

11 the Hudson Tunnel Project, would double the num12 ber of trains per hour by building a new, flood-proof 

13 tunnel. 

14 (10) The Federal Transit Administration rated 

15 the Hudson Tunnel Project ‘‘Medium-Low’’ in re16 sponse to the project’s s5309 Capital Investment 

17 Grant submission. 

18 SEC. 3. REPORT. 

19 Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall publish 

21 a report that explains— 

22 (1) the contingency plan of the Department of 

23 Transportation, in coordination with other relevant 

24 Federal agencies, detailing a specific plan of action 

25 in the case of a shutdown of a track described in 


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1 section 2(1) and that addresses issues including en2 suring commuters, tourists, and others will maintain 

3 the ability to travel between New Jersey and New 

4 York and throughout the region; and 

5 (2) the contingency plan of the Department of 

6 Transportation, in coordination with other relevant 

7 Federal agencies, detailing a specific plan of action 

8 to ensure minimal disruption to, and negative im9 pact on national security, the economy, public 

10 health, the environment, and property values. 

Æ 


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