Construction recently began on phase one of the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program in Baltimore.
Work includes the construction of the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel. Once completed, track speed will increase from 30 miles per hour to up to 110.
“Replacing this Civil War-era B&P tunnel will nearly triple train capacity on this critical section of the Northeast Corridor for the nine million annual Amtrak and MARC customers who rely on this vital connection,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said. “As we work with Maryland and our labor partners to deliver the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel, we are grateful for essential funding that the (Joe) Biden Administration has designated for this project, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the strong support of our many federal, state and local partners.”
Amtrak has committed approximately $750 million toward the project, and Maryland will commit $450 million in state funding. The combined funding puts the project closer to achieving full funding under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program.
Amtrak also recently signed a labor agreement with the Baltimore-DC Building and Construction Trades Council, a local affiliate of North America’s Building Trades Unions, to cover the replacement of the Warwick Bridge.