(CNN) -- In an effort to galvanize support for a new pair of rail tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey, two U.S. senators from the Garden State announced Monday that Amtrak would bear some of the costs. The $13.5 billion Gateway Tunnel project would add high-speed and commuter rail service between the two states by 2020, replacing an earlier project that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, rejected after citing budget concerns. "New Jersey is facing a transportation crisis," Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg said Monday. He said residents were "fed up" with train delays and "endless traffic" on New Jersey highways.

Christie said that there was obligations potentially for the taxpayers of
Garden State that he didn't feel they should shoulder."