Amtrak Awards Contract for New Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore

February 6, 2024 Railfanning.org News Wire
Amtrak has begun early construction activities as part of the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program. The first project kicked-off in March 2023 and includes replacing aging wooden ties with new concrete ties, installing new rail and completing track drainage improvements. These upgrades will enable high‐speed operations on all four tracks along this track segment. (Courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak has selected a Kiewit/J.F. Shea Joint Venture to build the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program in Maryland.

The new passenger rail tunnel will serve electrified Amtrak and MARC commuter trains and is the centerpiece of Amtrak’s Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program. The program will modernize and transform an approximately 10-mile section of the Northeast Corridor.

Located just south of Baltimore Penn Station, the new tunnel will serve electrified passenger trains with two parallel, single-track tunnel tubes, each approximately two miles long. It will also support much faster travel speeds than the existing tunnel, where trains are currently limited to maximum speeds of 30 mph due to the tight curves.

The overall program is scheduled for completion in 2035 and will be delivered through three major construction contracts.

“We are one step closer to unlocking the biggest passenger rail bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and New Jersey,” Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason said in an announcement. “This would not be possible without historic funding through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, as well as continued support from the Biden-Harris Administration, FRA and our funding partners at Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA).”

The new tunnel is named in honor of civil rights leader and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a Maryland native whose 206th birthday is later this month.

“This is welcome news for the 12 million people who rode Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor last year and the many millions more who are sure to make the switch soon to safe, fast, hassle-free travel,” Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews said in an announcement. “Anyone who has been on a train at the south end of the Baltimore station knows how frustrating it is to slalom slowly back-and-forth in this Civil War-era structure, and today’s announcement is just one more step towards giving Americans the modern rail network we all deserve.”

Railfanning Review Podcast

Before you copy and paste this information to your website, please keep in mind this research took a lot of effort. Appreciate it. Learn from it. But do not plagiarize it. Yes, if you think we might be talking to you, we are.

Related Articles

No Picture
Amtrak

Good News, Changes for Amtrak

February 1, 2006 The Cross-Tie

Following the successful introduction of revenue management on many of its Northeast Corridor trains last year, Amtrak will expand the practice in the Northeast to Acela Express and Metroliner service, beginning with trains departing Feb. 6.

No Picture
Amtrak

FRA, New Jersey Transit Begin Study of Portal Bridge

December 15, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Public comments are being sought for a project to replace, repair, or retain a 96-year-old railroad bridge on the heavily congested Northeast Corridor connecting the Newark, N.J., and New York. The Federal Railroad Administration and New Jersey Transit will jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS), in cooperation with Amtrak, to study improvements to enhance capacity and operation of the Amtrak-owned Portal Bridge that spans the Hackensack River. Originally constructed in 1910, the bridge is nearing the end of its projected lifespan, officials say. “Because of the bridge’s critical role in the successful operation of the Northeast Corridor,

No Picture
Amtrak

Amtrak Acela Express Wrapped for The History Channel Promotion for Special ‘1968 with Tom Brokaw’

November 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – Amtrak and The History Channel are teaming up to promote the upcoming special “1968 with Tom Brokaw” with the first-ever train wrap of an Acela Express train. Beginning Nov. 12 and continuing through Dec. 9, one Acela Express will travel along the Northeast Corridor bearing historical images from the year 1968.The promotion includes an exterior wrap of the train as well as interior signage promoting the special on The History Channel. The exterior wrap, made of vinyl, will appear on both sides of the two locomotives and six cars of the train. The wrap, while clearly visible