NEW YORK (WABC) -- Commuters will soon experience another slowdown on the road to recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
Amtrak says it will have to cut back use of the East River tunnels for at least a year as the damage is repaired.
Saltwater has caused cracks to concrete walls and corroded tracks and electrical systems.
Crews shut down one of the tunnels every weekend for 55 hours to make repairs, but officials say the extent of the damage will require longer closures and more delays.
The work will also affect service on the Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit will feel some of the pain, as well, since some of its trains park in Queens.
And Long Island Rail Road commuters are now learning the work could entail taking individual tubes out of service, officials recommend, for an extended period of time.
Planning and preparation could take a year before the actual repair begins on the tunnels.
"We want to work very closely to really minimize the impact, to the best extent possible on commuters," said Amtrak spokesperson Craig Schulz.
Concerned with safety and reliability, LIRR officials are studying the plans and possible impact on service. Commuters are wondering, too.
"People will be frustrated, like she says, you do have to deal with it, it's a shame," said one commuter.
"It shocks me that people are discussing this as something that is sudden and urgent. How do we know about this today, why not yesterday, why not a year ago?", said another.
In addition, two tunnels under the Hudson River, servicing both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuters suffered storm damage, and riders were impacted recently when a piece of concrete fell onto a track.
"We had to close that track and therefore cause a significant number of delays to a large number of people," said Shulz.
To deal with repairs to the Hudson River tubes, Amtrak is urgently pushing a bold plan.
"It is our intention to build a new tunnel under the Hudson River before we close the existing tubes to make the necessary repairs," Shulz said.
Vital to the reliability of a vast commuter system, the repair work's impact, riders believe, will be part of the daily commute.
"It's horrible in the beginning and then it becomes, this is my life," said a commuter.
Amtrak still hopes to build two additional tunnels that would cost more than $10 billion. Chairman Anthony Coscia says the region's transportation network could be crippled if the old tunnels close before the new ones are ready.
Amtrak's engineering report does not estimate how long the current tunnels will last.