Amtrak Advances Major Rail Yard Upgrades in Philadelphia

Similar improvements planned along the Northeast Corridor and in the Pacific Northwest

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Amtrak has awarded a construction contract for the first of six major maintenance facilities around the country that will help modernize maintenance practices and ensure a successful transition from an aging fleet to modern, state-of-the-art trains.

👷🏽 Digging deeper: Herzog Contracting Corporation will design and construct a new Heavy Maintenance Facility at Amtrak’s Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia.

• This facility will service many of Amtrak’s Acela and Northeast Regional trains that operate up and down the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which today provides more than 12 million annual trips and growing.

🎙️ Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason:

• “We look forward to breaking ground in 2024 on this critical infrastructure investment along the NEC, America’s busiest passenger corridor. This new facility will speed up train maintenance and reduce turnaround times, providing Amtrak customers with more reliable and frequent service.”

🗺️ The big picture: Amtrak’s facility investments will prepare sites around the country for new trains that will begin serving customers in the coming years. In the immediate future:

• Six rail yards (five in the Northeast and one in the Pacific Northwest) will be upgraded with new facilities to support maintenance activities, routine inspections, equipment repairs and minor service and cleaning needs.
• Several layover facilities outside the NEC will also be built or renovated. These are located along existing routes where trains are cleaned, serviced or stored.

🎙️ FRA Administrator Amit Bose:

• “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing in nearly every aspect of passenger rail, including advancing projects of national significance, improving accessibility at stations, funding workforce development, and upgrading facilities like Amtrak’s Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia. The Federal Railroad Administration looks forward to working with Amtrak and others to deliver these benefits and ensure Americans have access to the safe, modern, and convenient passenger rail service they deserve.”

💲 How it’s paid for: These projects are funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), allowing Amtrak to plan for the future and continue transforming passenger rail in America.

• Major infrastructure initiatives like these create important jobs and drive economic development, while investing in local communities.

🚄 Amtrak is transforming train travel with brand new trains slated to replace a majority of the existing fleet.

• New Acela testing is underway, Amtrak Airo manufacturing is ramping up and procurement has formally begun to replace the current Long Distance fleet.

👀 What’s next: Over the next year, additional contract awards are expected for similar facility upgrades in Seattle, Washington DC, New York City and Boston.

• These projects are part of Amtrak’s plan to invest roughly $5.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2024 through the company’s largest-ever annual capital program, which will modernize trains, enhance stations, and upgrade critical infrastructure like century-old tunnels and bridges.
• Follow along with Amtrak’s historic infrastructure investments here.

📣 Reactions:

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

“When Pennsylvanians can move quickly and easily across the state for work, study, or travel, our Commonwealth thrives. Improving rail service means more jobs, more economic opportunities, and more time spent with family for urban and rural communities alike. Today’s announcement shows just how big the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is delivering for Pennsylvania.”

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA)

“I applaud this award for the construction of a new heavy maintenance facility in Philadelphia. This new facility will service the critical Northeast Corridor, which provides millions up and down the East Coast with critical transit access. This is just another example of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money helping to modernize our transit infrastructure, create jobs, and support the economic development of our local communities.”

PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll

“Passenger rail is a crucial part of Pennsylvania’s transportation network. PennDOT is proud to support passenger rail through our state investments, and we’re pleased to see that these improvements are progressing.”