Critical to modernizing and upgrading America’s busiest passenger rail corridor
WASHINGTON – Amtrak’s New Era of Rail continues with funding announced for 13 Amtrak-led projects that will modernize the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and unlock major bottlenecks on the busiest passenger railroad in America.
“Thanks to this new round of competitive grants, Amtrak will continue to deliver a new era of passenger rail and advance vital infrastructure projects that drive economic growth, create jobs and transform this critical corridor that benefits millions of Americans,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner.
Amtrak’s NEC is one of the busiest and economically vital transportation systems in the world, with more than 2,000 daily trains operating over some portions of the Washington-Boston route each day and providing vital connections for seven million jobs within a 5-mile radius of an NEC station.
The competitive grants announced will support 13 Amtrak-led projects through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (FSP-NEC). This competitive program was created and funded by Congress to address decades of under-investment and help replace aging infrastructure assets, reduce travel times, improve reliability and deliver a modern customer experience for the hundreds of millions of riders who travel along this corridor each year.
Amtrak-led projects advancing further into planning, development, or construction thanks to today’s announcement include:
Expanding and Modernizing Major Stations
- Project development activities for expanding the capacity of New York Penn Station [1] to double passenger train service between New York and New Jersey from 24 to 48 trains per hour, or more during peak hours, transforming the busiest train station in the Western Hemisphere into a modern, world-class facility.
- Project development activities for expanding and modernizing the 115-year-old Washington Union Station, Amtrak’s 2nd busiest station, in partnership with project sponsor Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC).
- Project development, final design and construction activities for addressing near-term needs at Washington Union Station, including relocation of an existing power substation, construction of new digital technology functions and replacement of existing Amtrak Police Department and employee facilities.
- Final design and construction activities for the Baltimore Penn Station Redevelopment Project at Amtrak’s 6th busiest station.
Replacing Aging Bridges
- Supplemental final design and pre-construction support services for replacement of the 115-year-old Sawtooth Bridges [2] in Kearny, NJ. These four bridges carry more than 400 Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains per day over tracks used by NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail freight trains. When complete, the new four-track NEC structure will double track capacity in one of the most congested and complex locations on the NEC where these different services all come together.
- Planning-level study for eventual replacement of the 120-year-old Connecticut River Bridge in Windsor Locks, CT, on the Amtrak-owned New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor. This is a separate project from the new Connecticut River Bridge now under construction in Old Lyme/Old Saybrook, CT.
Renewing Rail Infrastructure and Support Systems
- Final design and construction of Zoo to Paoli Electric Upgrades [3] along an 18-mile segment of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor between Paoli and Philadelphia, PA.
- Construction of a new Substation 41 on an elevated platform that will improve the reliability of Amtrak and commuter services along a heavily tracked segment in Kearny, NJ.
- Project development and final design for signal system upgrades along 26 miles between New Brunswick and Elizabeth, NJ that will enable more frequent train service and higher speeds.
- Project development and final design for signal system upgrades that will benefit Amtrak and MARC trains between South Bowie, MD and Washington Union Station.
- Final design and construction for replacement of approximately 100 miles of catenary wire that will improve Amtrak and MARC service reliability between Baltimore and New Carrollton, MD.
- Project development and final design activities for catenary system upgrades along 23 miles in Northern New Jersey between County and Newark interlockings. Once completed, this project will replace existing catenary structures that are nearly 90 years old, improving reliability for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT customers.
- Project development and final design activities for the addition of a new interlocking in Exton, PA, filling in a gap of universal interlockings along a 15-mile stretch of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Line and introducing modern controls, signaling and safety systems.
Amtrak partners also received funding to advance mutually beneficial projects, including:
- New York Penn Station Reconstruction
New York MTA - Track Improvement and Mobility Enhancement
CTDOT - Hartford Line Rail Program Double Track Project
CTDOT - Cos Cob Bridge Replacement Planning Study
CTDOT - Hartford Station Relocation Project
CTDOT - Regional Rail Master Plan Implementation
SEPTA
Over the past year, Amtrak has advanced several projects funded by the FSP-NEC Program, including breaking ground and beginning construction on a new Connecticut River Bridge, kicking off the Susquehanna River Bridge Project, beginning demolition and early preconstruction activities for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program, and more. To learn more about recent progress on Amtrak projects, visit our infrastructure news page [4].