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U.S. NEWS Saturday 29 February 2020

This photo from video provided by KGTV-10 News shows the
rescue of some of 13 people after a suspected immigrant
smuggling boat dropped the group off in the ocean on the
Southern California coast early off Del Mar, Calif., Friday, Feb.
28, 2020.
Associated Press
13 suspected immigrants This Oct. 17, 2018 file photo shows damage to the Hudson River rail tunnel in New York.

Associated Press
rescued from New York rail tunnel repairs could

ocean off California mean more rider headaches

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — checkpoints. Smugglers
Southern California life- can charge considerably By DAVID PORTER New Jersey and currently is and chief operating and
guards rescued 13 people more money taking people Associated Press ineligible for federal grants. commercial officer.
and were searching for by sea. NEW YORK (AP) — The news Amtrak already shuts down "We're trying to balance
others believed to have A few migrants have been that Amtrak will ramp up re- one of the existing tunnel's what we can do now with
been dropped off early killed when boats over- pairs to its century-old Hud- two tubes during overnight the impacts of doing it
Friday by Mexican migrant turned in the San Diego son River rail tunnel while and weekend hours to re- now," Gardner told The As-
smugglers in the Pacific surf. Others have been a project to build a new pair damage accelerated sociated Press at a trans-
Ocean, authorities said. found clinging to an over- tunnel languishes likely will by flooding from 2012's Su- portation conference in
As many as three people turned boat. translate into more head- perstorm Sandy. The Gate- New York on Thursday. "If
remained missing based "This is extremely danger- aches for already belea- way plan called for shut- we have to curtail rush hour
on information from the ous," Decker said. guered commuters. ting down the tunnel for a for the next five years to do
group of men and women All 13 were taken to a hos- U.S. Transportation Sec- complete overhaul once some interim work, there's
rescued along the coast pital to be treated for hy- retary Elaine Chao told a a new tunnel is built, but huge impacts to that. So
at Del Mar, an upscale pothermia, Decker said. House subcommittee Thurs- Chao said Thursday that we're tying to find that right
beach town about 30 miles The group told authorities day that federal officials beginning the repair work balance."
(48 kilometers) north of the there were two smugglers are working with Amtrak on now "is the right move." She The most disruptive repairs
Mexico border, U.S. Border on board who told them to a plan to accelerate the noted that building a new could "require a complete
Patrol spokesman agent swim ashore. work now on the 110-year- tunnel would take seven outage at some point," he
Jarrett Decker said. Coast Guard crews flying old tunnel. to 10 years and cost an es- added. The problems —
Over the past decade, overhead were also at- The new tunnel, proposed timated $11 billion, under including water leaking in,
smugglers have increasing- tempting Friday to locate nine years ago as part of the most favorable condi- crumbling walls, an out-
ly turned to using the sea the boat known as a "pan- the larger Gateway project tions. The new plan calls for dated track bed and over-
to get people into the U.S. ga" that the smugglers used to transform rail capacity more extensive repairs that head wire issues — are so
and avoid trying to avoid to transport the migrants, in the New York region, is will require further service extensive that they won't
multiple barriers on land though it is suspected it re- mired in a funding dispute disruptions, said Stephen all be repaired, even un-
along the California-Mex- turned to Mexico, Decker between the federal gov- Gardner, Amtrak's senior der the new plan, Gardner
ico border and highway said.q ernment and New York and executive vice president conceded. q