Dive Brief:
- Amtrak recently began work on a new $1 billion maintenance facility project at Sunnyside Yard in Long Island City, New York, according to an announcement.
- A joint venture of Scalamandre Construction and Citnalta Construction will serve as the general contractors, an Amtrak spokesperson previously told Construction Dive.
- The project ranks as the fifth, and the largest, major Amtrak maintenance facility to advance into significant construction over the past two years, according to the release.
Dive Insight:
Amtrak expects the phased work, primarily funded by Congress through Federal Railroad Administration grants, to run through 2030, according to the release.
The project centers on the construction of a new two-track maintenance and inspection facility. Additional plans include six new service and cleaning tracks, state-of-good repair work on 11 existing service platforms, a modular office compound and the reconfiguration of two major interlockings and tracks.
Once finished, the facility will support Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets, which will replace 50-year-old passenger cars, Amtrak said. The work adds onto other major station upgrades, including projects in Philadelphia, Washington, Boston and Seattle, according to the news release.
“From this new maintenance facility to the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project and so many other projects, Amtrak is delivering transformative investments that are reshaping the future of passenger rail in New York,” said Laura Mason, executive vice president of capital delivery at Amtrak, in the Aug. 28 release.
