Bangkok: A U.S. court has ordered a halt to the freeze on funding for the New York railroad tunnel project. A federal judge in New York City has lifted the freeze on funding for a crucial $16 billion rail infrastructure upgrade project between New York and New Jersey. This funding had been previously halted by the Trump administration.

According to Thai News Agency, the Gateway Project is set to construct a new mass transit railway tunnel connecting Manhattan and New Jersey, while also renovating the existing tunnel, which is over a century old. The existing tunnel serves more than 200,000 passengers and 425 trains daily. The Hudson Tunnel, part of this infrastructure, suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, leading to frequent emergency repairs and affecting one of the nation's busiest rail lines.

Judge Jeannette Vargas of the District Court for the County of Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order just hours after officials in New York and New Jersey expressed concerns that construction might be halted due to a lack of funding. Judge Vargas reasoned that both states are likely to succeed in their cases, arguing that the Trump administration's budget freeze is arbitrary and violates legal procedures for policy changes. The government had previously suspended disbursements to the project amounting to $205 million since October 1st.

News reports indicate that President Trump offered a deal to lift the budget freeze, proposing to rename Washington Dulles Airport and Penn Station in New York City after him. This offer has drawn criticism from Democrats. However, Republican President Trump denied making such a deal to reporters on Friday and declined to comment on Judge Vargas's ruling.

The project received approximately US$15 billion (around 510 billion baht) in federal funding during the administration of former President Joe Biden. To date, nearly US$2 billion (around 68 billion baht) has been spent.