Amtrak officials said next month the passenger railroad service provider will initiate Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) Tunnel rehab work to improve infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
The pilot project focuses on rehabilitating the 147-year-old tunnel, undertaking preventive maintenance work to keep the tunnel in working condition. Plans are underway to build a new tunnel to replace the existing tunnel under the City of Baltimore.
“This preventive maintenance work is necessary, but it is not a silver bullet,” Gery Williams, Amtrak VP, chief engineer, said. “Due to its age along with growing ridership demand, full replacement of the tunnel, with a new four-track tunnel system improving reliability, capacity, and connectivity, is the only long-term solution.”
The scope of work, officials said, involves crews replacing 1,000 feet of track slab and block ties while renewing track inside the tunnel that have deteriorated due to age and water infiltration.
The work will be executed over eight weekends with minimal service impacts. The pilot project will allow Amtrak’s Engineering Department to evaluate viable options to improve the reliability of the B&P Tunnel.
Three years ago, in the wake of completing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), officials said the Federal Railroad Administration issued a Record of Decision for a new four-track tunnel system to replace the existing tunnel.