Amtrak is investing USD 260 million for track improvement on NEC (Northeast Corridor), along with other ongoing work, to increase reliability, safety and efficiency, which are part of Amtrak’s new era of rail strategy. These investments, a 109% increase from last year’s summer infrastructure renewal work, are fundamental to improving service to support the railway’s ambitious goal of doubling annual ridership to 66 million by 2040.
“In addition to our ongoing catenary inspection and repair programme, we’re renewing our tracks, signals and other rail infrastructure across the Northeast Corridor and Harrisburg Line, while also advancing major projects for new tunnels, bridges, trains and other historic investments. Thanks to new, innovative approaches and the support of our partners, we’re transforming the way we work to advance these upgrades in a more effective and efficient manner, enabling us to complete more work in less time,” Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery, Laura Mason, said.
Amtrak customers traveling on the NEC may experience minor delays in various locations due to track renewal work. While this may result in occasional temporary inconveniences, the long-term customer benefits are many, including increased reliability, enhanced ride quality and improved on-time performance.
The work for track improvement on NEC includes the replacement of more than 75,500 rail ties and 51.5 km of rails, the improvement of track stability to more than 273.6 km of tracks and the renewal of more than 35 track switches.
All these actions are funded through Amtrak grants and revenues, grants from other federal programmes, state and local contributions.
In addition to the NEC infrastructure work, several major Amtrak-led or sponsored projects are underway or set to begin later this year. These include:
- Replacing 1950s-era rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania through the Harrisburg Line track renewal project
- Advancing construction of the new Portal North Bridge, which recently passed the 67% completion mark and is being delivered in partnership with NJ Transit
- Kicking off major construction for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel programme, which will eliminate the biggest rail bottleneck between Washington, D.C. and New Jersey
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