Amtrak has begun to improve tracks on the Harrisburg Line between Lancaster (LNC) and Harrisburg (HAR), Pa., to improve ride quality and comfort, increase service reliability and complete necessary work required to keep the tracks in a state of good repair. The project will cost Amtrak approximately $122 million.
“Amtrak is making historic infrastructure investments through projects like this one, which will replace obsolete 1950s-era rail infrastructure that is at the end of its useful life,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “We’re taking a fresh approach and expediting this important project with a combination of single and full track outages that will improve work efficiencies and reduce the duration of customer impacts.”
Amtrak is accelerating the project to replace this aging rail infrastructure and will complete the work in nearly half the original estimated timeline of two years. To extend the long-term benefits of the project, Amtrak will replace the existing wood crossties with concrete crossties, which Amtrak says has an expected lifespan of 60 years compared to 25 years for traditional wood crossties.
Specific details of the track work include:
- Installing 43 track miles of rail, replacing nearly 100 percent of rail.
- Installing 113,000 concrete crossties, each weighing approximately 900 pounds.
- Cleaning and refreshing 226,500 feet of gravel track bed to support the track structure and improve drainage.
The concrete ties used are manufactured in Bear, Del., and the ballast for the track structure will be purchased from a quarry in Birdsboro, Pa.
The project began on March 15 and the work will require a series of significant track outages from April 8 through Nov. 21, 2024. During that period, Keystone Service trains between LNC and HAR only will be replaced with buses from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. There will also be various schedule adjustments Friday through Sunday and weekday mornings and evenings.
Amtrak Pennsylvanian trains that operate between Pittsburgh, Pa., and New York City, N.Y., will still provide daily midday service through the project area, featuring additional seating capacity. Amtrak says the weekday service cancellations will affect fewer than 450 daily Keystone Service customers and substitute buses will be provided to mitigate the impact. Overall project completion is expected in late December after the significant track outage concludes.
Amtrak will operate substitute bus service and explains it is working with state partners at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to preserve ridership and help ensure the continued success of the partnership.
Continued improvements
Amtrak notes that much of the rail infrastructure it operates on across the Northeast Corridor was last renewed in the 1970s. This infrastructure is now approaching the time for replacement and modernization. Historically, Amtrak has fully renewed approximately 30 miles of track per year. The project will support Amtrak’s accelerated plan of renewing more than 55 miles of track in the coming year, an increase of nearly 85 percent.
Due to the scope and scale of investment demands, Amtrak is implementing new and innovative strategies to promote efficient and productive infrastructure project completion, including expanding construction outage schedules in the short term that helps to accelerate work and complete projects faster while minimizing long-term impacts to customers and train service.
