Amtrak Advances Transmission Line Program in Philadelphia

Courtesy of Amtrak

PHILADELPHIA - For the first of three, Amtrak awards HNTB a construction contract for the Zoo to Paoli Electrification Transmission Line Program. The contract is for construction management support the substation at Bryn Mawr and Bryn Mawr to Paoli segment.

The program will “upgrade the electrification system along an 18-mile section of track between Zoo Substation in Philadelphia and the Paoli Substation in Chester County,” according to Amtrak. Once the multi-year program is complete, all overhead wire and catenary poles will be in a state-of-good-repair. The release goes on to note that the existing high voltage transmission line (138kV) will be moved onto Amtrak property. This transmission line construction includes 330 catenary structures, static wire and electric insulators, an upgrade to Bryn Mawr’s switching station, an upgrade to the signal power system, and decommissioning the off-corridor transmission lines and demolishing the existing OCS structures.

The program is in three separate components: 

Bryn Mawr Substation Replacement

• This contract was awarded. The existing switching station next to Bryn Mawr train station will be demolished and replaced with new substation equipment. Crews will work to remove the existing structures, demolish the control house building, expand the substation footprint, and install equipment that includes two 138kV step down transformers, traction power circuit breakers, signal power transformers, signal power circuit breakers, static signal frequency converter hut (SSFC), and a brick facade control building with relay control panels. 
• Crews will also work on auxiliary power systems, cabling, lighting, lightning protection, grounding wires, civil works, fencing, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), among others.
• Vanalt Electrical Construction, Inc. was awarded a contract and will begin construction in Fall 2024.

Paoli to Bryn Mawr Transportation Line

• 10 miles of track along Amtrak’s right-of-way will be upgraded with OCS structures.
• A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released, and Amtrak posted an Advance Notice on the Procurement Portal earlier this year.
• A Request for Proposals (RFP) should be released to shortlisted firms in December 2024 with a contract award expected to follow early next year (2025).

Bryn Mawr to Zoo Transmission Line

• 8 miles of Amtrak’s right-of-way will be upgrade with OCS structures.
• Procurement for this segment is expected to begin in 2027-2028.

Amtrak states that it “intends to deliver both transmission line segments through a Design-Bid-Build approach. A RFP is underway for the program and construction management services contract to support the Bryn Mawr Substation Replacement and Paoli to Bryn Mawr OCS Upgrades, with a future option to support the Bryn Mawr to Zoo OCS Upgrades.”

Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason said, “Once this program is complete, Amtrak’s Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian trains, as well as SEPTA Paoli Thorndale Line, will benefit from more reliable service thanks to a modern overhead catenary system (OCS) and power generation and distribution infrastructure. . . Our goal is to increase reliability and efficiency along this heavily traveled portion of the railroad, which includes Amtrak’s longest distance between power substations along the New York-Washington-Harrisburg corridor.”