Amtrak is working on the railroad in 2010

Written by jrood

February 14, 2001 As the 2010 construction season gets under way, Amtrak is embarking on $1-billion construction program to fund capital projects designed to rebuild, upgrade and modernize its tracks, bridges, stations and other critical infrastructure along the busy Northeast Corridor and across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and the Miami area.

"We are investing in our
infrastructure to improve the reliability, safety and security of our
operations and support the growing demand to travel by Amtrak," said President
and CEO Joseph Boardman, noting America’s passenger railroad posted record
ridership numbers for the first six-months of this fiscal year.

Boardman explained Amtrak
intends to spend $420 million from its FY 2010 annual capital program and $590
million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund the
infrastructure projects that will be underway this construction season.

Along the Northeast
Corridor, Amtrak is performing extensive work on a number of railroad bridges,
including the start of a major, multi-year project to replace the movable
Niantic River Bridge in East Lyme, Conn., which has been in operation since
1907. In addition, a multiyear project in New York along the Hell Gate Line
(New York Penn Station – New Rochelle) to replace and modernize the overhead
catenary wires and other electrical equipment – some of which date from 1914 –
is scheduled to be completed.

Also in the Northeast, a
major renovation of the historic Wilmington, Del., station is continuing,
approximately 198,000 cross ties are being replaced and the northbound platform
at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport station is being extended to
accommodate more than double the current number of passenger rail cars to
improve boarding and alighting from the train, among many other projects.

Elsewhere across the
country, Amtrak is making major upgrades to its train equipment inspection and
maintenance facilities in Los Angeles, Seattle and Hialeah, Fla., near Miami. At
the Chicago and New Orleans terminals, the tracks will be returned to a state
of good repair. Also in Chicago, electric heaters will be installed at track
switches to ensure the reliability of winter operations. In Sanford, Fla., near
Orlando, work is continuing on a multiyear project to significantly expand the
southern terminus of Amtrak’s popular Auto Train service on which passengers
can bring their personal vehicles along for the ride.

Currently, 94 percent of
Amtrak passengers board at ADA-accessible stations and this year the railroad
plans to make additional accessibility improvements at numerous locations
across its 529-station network, including the installation of wheelchair lifts
and upgrades to platforms and parking lots. In addition, Amtrak is moving
forward aggressively to upgrade and expand the use of its Positive Train Control
collision prevention safety technology on tracks it owns along the Northeast
Corridor and in Michigan and is enhancing security by implementing measures to
harden stations, bridges and tunnels, among many other projects.

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