Ninety feet below the East River, Amtrak’s 110 year-old train tunnels are slowly filling with salty water dripping on high-voltage cables as steel is nearly corroded to dust. Above ground, heads of Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transit Agency are publicly sparring about who should take the blame for the millions of riders about to suffer train delays starting May 23 when one of the tracks in the tunnel is closed for much-needed repairs.

The two tunnels pegged for repairs — known as Line 1 and Line 2 — are primarily used by Amtrak, which runs trains up to Boston over the Hell Gate Line that begins in Queens, and NJ Transit, which stores trains in Sunnyside, Queens. The LIRR, which runs the majority of trains into and out of Penn, typically has Lines 3 and 4 to itself.

NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen reached a tentative deal Sunday that will end the strike.

The East River Tunnel Rehabilitation project will tentatively get underway on May 23 instead of this Friday, Amtrak President Roger Harris told Hochul in a letter Tuesday.

Starting later this month, one of the four East River rail tunnels will be out of service for three years, as Amtrak conducts repairs to the damage left by Superstorm Sandy.

Three issues are on the table to settle NJ Transits rial strike called by locomotive engineers. Both sides are meeting again.

Train engineers in New Jersey’s huge commuter rail system are on strike, leaving its 350,000 daily riders either working from home or seeking other means to transit the state or cross the Hudson River into New York City.

NJ Transit strike prompts riders to pay high prices for alternatives, disrupting commutes and local businesses.