I don’t think that’s true. I’ve read a lot on the history H&M railroad and the construction of the tunnels and have never come across anything about a half-finished tunnel over there. But I’d be happy to be corrected if someone has any evidence of that.

They did make some provisions for direct service from Erie Terminal (Newport) to Hudson Terminal (WTC). That idea never went far, but I believe it was was accounted for in the design of one of the junctions near Newport.