Amtrak secures $112M from FRA's FSP-NEC program to fund 13 projects. Key upgrades include station expansions, bridge replacements, and rail infrastructure improvements across the Northeast Corridor to enhance reliability, speed, and the customer experience. Multiple states to benefit.
Photo courtesy of Amtrak
The existing Sawtooth Bridges outlined in yellow carry Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains on NEC Tracks 2 and 3 between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction in Kearny, N.J.
As part of what Amtrak calls its "New Era of Rail," the rail service announced Nov. 18 that it is continuing to fund projects designed to modernize the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and unlock major bottlenecks on the busiest passenger railroad in the United States.
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 7 million jobs within a 5-mi. radius of an NEC station.
The $112 million in competitive grants will support 13 Amtrak-led projects through the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (FSP-NEC).
The initiative 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 the corridor each year.
"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.
Funds to Be Spread to Projects Across Several States
Amtrak-led projects may now advance further into planning, development or construction thanks to the new funding. They include expanding and modernizing major stations, replacing aging bridges and renewing rail infrastructure and support systems.
Among the project development activities that Amtrak has planned are:
- Expanding the capacity of New York Penn Station to double passenger train service between New York and New Jersey from 24 to 48 trains per hour — or more during peak hours — and transforming the busiest train station in the Western Hemisphere into a modern, world-class facility.
- Expanding and modernizing the 115-year-old Washington Union Station, Amtrak's second busiest station, in partnership with project sponsor Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC).
- Finalizing the design and beginning construction to address near-term needs at Washington Union Station, including the relocation of an existing power substation, adding new digital technology functions and a replacement of existing Amtrak Police Department and employee facilities.
- Final design and construction work for the Baltimore Penn Station Redevelopment Project at Amtrak's sixth busiest station.
Old NEC rail bridges also are due to be replaced, according to Amtrak, including:
- The 115-year-old Sawtooth Bridges, a series of four spans in Kearny, N.J., where supplemental final design and pre-construction support services are set to get underway. The four structures currently carry more than 400 Amtrak and NJ Transit trains per day over tracks also used by PATH passenger trains and Conrail's freight service. When complete, the new four-track NEC structure will double track capacity in one of the most congested and complex locations on the corridor where these different services all come together.
- The 120-year-old Connecticut River Bridge in Windsor Locks, Conn., on the Amtrak-owned New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor. There, a planning-level study for the structure's eventual replacement is scheduled. The effort is a separate project from the new Connecticut River Bridge now under construction in Old Lyme/Old Saybrook, Conn.
Additionally, a number of renewal projects are planned to upgrade NEC rail infrastructure and support systems. Among them are:
- The final design and construction of Zoo to Paoli Electric Upgrades along an 18-mi. segment of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor between Paoli and Philadelphia, Pa.
- Construction of a new Substation 41 on an elevated platform to improve the reliability of Amtrak and commuter services along a heavily tracked segment in Kearny, N.J.
- The project development and final design for signal system upgrades along 26 mi. between New Brunswick and Elizabeth, N.J. that will enable more frequent train service and higher speeds.
- 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 mi. 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 mi. in Northern New Jersey between County and Newark interlockings. Once completed, this work will replace existing catenary structures that are nearly 90 years old, improving reliability for Amtrak and NJ Transit customers.
- Development and final designs for the addition of a new interlocking in Exton, Pa., filling in a gap of universal interlockings along a 15-mi. stretch of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Line. Additionally, the project will introduce modern controls, signaling, and safety systems.
Several of Amtrak's key partners also received funding to advance mutually beneficial projects, including the Connecticut Department of Transportation's (CTDOT) work along the NEC to make track improvements and mobility enhancements, advance its Hartford Line Rail Program Double Track Project and separate Hartford Station relocation effort, and the state's planning study to replace the Cos Cob Bridge in Greenwich.
In addition, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will use the FRA grants to reconstruct New York Penn Station, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will work to implement its regional rail master plan throughout the greater Philadelphia region.
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 in Pennsylvania and beginning demolition and early pre-construction activities for Baltimore's Frederick Douglass Tunnel program.
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