STV Leads Design for Amtrak’s Ivy City Yard Upgrades
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Ivy City Yard
STV
WASHINGTON, D.C. - STV will lead design services for the Ivy City Yard upgrades in Washington, D.C.
The work seeks to overhaul the repair shop where Northeast Regional and Acela trains undergo servicing and repairs. STV says these upgrades will improve service and allow for more efficient maintenance practices as ridership is suspected to grow for Amtrak. STV will step into the role of lead designer for the $480 million upgrade as part of a Clark/Herzog design-build team.
As part of Amtrak’s $2 billion facilities upgrade program, Ivy City Yard is one of six locations that will under upgrades to enhance maintenance capabilities. At Ivy City Yard, crews will demolish and replace portions of the primary maintenance structure, relocate tracks, convert storage areas into service tracks, and construct a new train servicing structure. Some of the structures were built in the 1980s, STV says, and these will be rebuilt with raised roofs for more space. This allows for a catenary system to be added. As well, fuel stations will be added for the new dual-power Airo trains from Amtrak.
As part of the project, STV will perform design management, design quality management, structural, site/civil, geotechnical, electrical, communications, fire alarm, utilities and industrial engineering and architectural design, according to STV. Additionally, it will provide design services during construction to offset any design challenges as they arise and to “streamline the processing” of reviews and requests for information (RFIs). STV says its work at Ivy City Yard is “extensive” as it includes its role in delivering the original high-speed rail shop with “advanced systems such as a dust-free pneumatic sanding system.”
STV Design Manager Robert Burnett, PE said, “STV has collaborated with Amtrak for more than 40 years and brings unmatched expertise to this project thanks to the more than 100 projects we’ve completed together. . . Our deep understanding of Amtrak’s maintenance practices, particularly at Ivy City Yard, will allow us to drive solutions that we know Amtrak is looking for and that the community needs.”
