US national rail company Amtrak has commenced construction of a new train maintenance facility at Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia.
The $462m heavy facility, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to streamline train maintenance and reduce turnaround times using modern practices.
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Scheduled to open in 2027, the facility will service Amtrak’s Acela, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional and Pennsylvanian trains.
The facility is designed to support daily inspections, service, cleaning, life cycle maintenance, and heavy repairs.
It is expected to bolster the frequency of service across Pennsylvania and the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
The new facility will occupy nearly 350,000ft2 within the existing rail yard and feature advanced maintenance and inspection bays, inspection pits, a drop table, and fuelling pads.
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By GlobalDataIt will also include a new direct fixation track, catenary structure updates, and additional storage and utility upgrades.
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said: “This new maintenance facility is critical to upgrading the customer experience with new state-of-the-art trains, combined with our other major infrastructure projects.
“This project and several others like it will help drive continued ridership growth and future service expansion thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and continued support from the Biden-Harris Administration, Congress and many other partners around the country.”
The construction will be executed in two phases within the current yard’s footprint, aiming to consolidate various functions without major impacts on customers.
In addition to the Philadelphia project, six other major rail yards will undergo renovations, including one in the Pacific Northwest, where recently a construction contract has been awarded.
These upgrades will support cleaning, servicing, and storage needs of trains.
Additionally, several layover sites outside the NEC will be constructed or upgraded.
In September this year, Amtrak broke ground on a $1.3bn project to build a new Connecticut River Bridge on the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
