Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects

Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.

1 minute read

September 25, 2023, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Chicago Intercity Rail

Loco Steve / Wikimedia Commons

According to a Smart Cities Dive brief by Dan Zukowski, Amtrak plans to triple its infrastructure investment over the next two years, focusing federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure law on tunnels, bridges, new routes, and increased service on existing routes.

“Earlier this year, Amtrak began work on a new $4.5 billion tunnel to replace the Civil War-era Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, and the Federal Railroad Administration committed nearly $7 billion to the long-delayed Hudson River Tunnel project — both key projects along the Northeast Corridor. Other major projects serving that Boston-Washington, D.C. corridor include bridges in New Jersey and Connecticut, and the East River Tunnel and Sunnyside Yard facility in New York City, according to ENR.”

To handle the added workload, “Amtrak hired over 3,700 people and invested $2.3 billion in capital projects in fiscal year 2022, including new trains, according to a company document.”

Friday, September 22, 2023 in Smart Cities Dive

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