Rail tunnel advocates say politics won't derail project

Some of the big names behind the project to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River say politics won't derail it this time.

New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia (COHS'-ya) attended a panel discussion Monday that updated the so-called Gateway project.

They say that with continued federal support, the project won't succumb to the political squabbling that killed a similar tunnel project six years ago.

Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pulled the plug on that one over fears of cost overruns. New York lawmakers weren't fully supportive of the project.

Christie and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo both support the Gateway project, which also would make other major improvements in a key section of the busy Northeast Corridor.