Supports Gateway Project, increases speeds,
improves reliability
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Transportation
awarded Amtrak $450 million in funding to upgrade its rail
infrastructure to support more frequent and faster
high-speed rail service, and to improve reliability of
current service between New York and Washington.
With this investment by the Obama administration, the
Amtrak vision for high-speed rail in the Northeast is now
departing the station and heading down the tracks to help
take America to the next generation of passenger service,
said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.
The funding will go toward improvements that are an
important first step in support of the Amtrak Gateway
Project, which will construct new tunnels to access an
expanded New York Penn Station, enhance regional economic
development and job creation, and lay the foundation for the
future launch of 220 mph next-generation high-speed service.
Specifically, the $450 million awarded to Amtrak is for a
project to upgrade electrical power, signal systems, track
and overhead catenary wires between Morrisville, Pa., and
New Brunswick, N.J. one of the busiest segments of the
Northeast Corridor (NEC) and where the densest concentration
of Acela Express high-speed rail operations occurs. It also
will reconfigure track switches at the western entrance to
New York Penn Station to mitigate congestion issues. The
anticipated completion date is in September 2017.
As a result, Amtrak top speeds will increase from 135 mph
to 160 mph along a 24-mile section of track. Combined with
new equipment acquisition currently in the planning stages,
the project supports plans to add six more Acela Express
high-speed roundtrips between New York and Washington by
2018 and a total of 15 additional roundtrips by 2022
doubling high-speed service from current levels.
In addition to the $450 million received by Amtrak,
several states were awarded a total of $345 million for
other NEC-specific projects each of which are vital for the
reliability and capacity of the current NEC network. Amtrak
worked closely with its state partners along the NEC during
the application process to coordinate projects in order to
maximize the expected regional improvements.
Amtrak also is encouraged that the U.S. Department of
Transportation is awarding funding to states for other
projects in the Northeast, the Midwest and in California
that will benefit current Amtrak services and are critical
building blocks for expanded and higher speed intercity
passenger rail service across the nation.