$11 billion New York tunnel gets federal approval

A planned $11 billion tunnel seen as a key to train travel up and down the northeastern U.S. has received federal environmental approval. The record of the decision announced on Friday by the Department of Transportation means the project to build a new Hudson River tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey can push ahead with engineering and design work. The project had been waiting three years since it completed its environmental studies. Stakeholders including Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have alleged the Trump administration delayed the approval for political reasons. The existing tunnel is more than 110 years old and prone to problems and delays.