WASHINGTON – Amtrak’s biggest engineering project of the spring is underway on the Susquehanna River Bridge between Baltimore, Md., and Wilmington, Del.
A key rail link on the busy Northeast Corridor, the 4,154-foot-long bridge spans the Susquehanna between Havre De Grace Md., and Perryville, Md. As a result of the track improvement work, schedule adjustments have been made to Acela, Regional and long-distance arrival and departure times.
Beginning April 14 and continuing through June 4, trains will operate on a single track over the bridge and its approaches, and the schedules of all southbound Acela Express, Regional and long-distance trains operating between Wilmington and Washington, DC will be affected.
Approximately five minutes will be added to the arrival and departure times of all southbound trains at Aberdeen, and approximately 10 minutes will be added to arrivals and departures at Baltimore, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, New Carrollton and Washington.
Approximately five minutes will be added to the arrival and departure times of the northbound Acela Express trains 2122 and 2124 between Wilmington and New York.
The southbound schedules published in Amtrak’s Spring/Summer System Timetable between Wilmington and Washington, and the schedules for northbound Acela trains 2122 and 2124 will not be valid during this period.
The project involves upgrading Track 2, the east side track, of the two-track open deck bridge with new ties and continuous welded rail (CWR). The track upgrades will include the installation of 3,184 new ties and about a mile of new CWR on Track 2. The $4.5 million project will result in a completely new bridge deck, following similar work already completed on the bridge’s other track in September 2005.
In addition to an upgraded bridge track, controlled-access walkways and handrails will be installed on both sides of the bridge, which will provide easier access and a safer working environment for employees during routine inspection and maintenance of the bridge. Track 2 is slated to return to service the first week of June.
To accomplish this major project, Track 2 will be taken out of service for about 50 consecutive days and crews will work on the bridge seven days a week, with an additional set of crews on the bridge at night for about half of that period.
For updated schedules, please visit Amtrak.com, call 1-800-USA-RAIL or speak with a ticket agent.
