Amtrak to invest $370 million over 3 years in new equipment

Amtrak will invest $370 million in new equipment, such as this P-811, during the next three years to ramp up maintenance activity along the NEC.

Amtrak

Amtrak plans to double its engineering efforts on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) with the purchase of $370 million of new equipment over a three-year period.

The investment will accelerate maintenance work, which the railroad says will improve the overall experience for those traveling along the NEC.

Amtrak is investing in one track laying system, two undercutters, five high-speed surfacing machines, heavy lift cranes for New York Penn Station and the necessary freight cars and locomotive power to help sufficiently advance the Northeast Corridor to a state of good repair.

“More than 890,000 Amtrak customers and commuter passengers rely on the Northeast Corridor for transportation every weekday and we are working to make their ride smoother and more reliable,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek.

Amtrak says these upgrades will significantly improve train on-time performance and the quality of its customer experience with smoother rides.

RT&S has reached out to Amtrak for additional information on the maintenance machines; this story will be updated if/when that information becomes available.