Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner was joined by Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, White House Deputy Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation Samantha Silverberg, and Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews to celebrate the start of construction for Amtrak’s new heavy maintenance facility at Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia.

“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,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “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.”

Keeping the Trains in Order

The new heavy maintenance facility will improve customer and employee experience when it opens in 2027. Train maintenance will be sped up reducing turnaround times thanks to modern maintenance practices in place at the facility.

The facility will be used for daily inspections, service and cleaning, along with life cycle maintenance and heavy maintenance repairs.” These upgrades will enable more reliable and frequent service across Pennsylvania and the Northeast Corridor (NEC), America’s busiest passenger railroad.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration and through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are putting historic rail investments to work to advance major projects and upgrade vital infrastructure like Amtrak's Penn Coach Yard,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “The Administration's investments are modernizing and expanding passenger rail in the Northeast and beyond and helping to deliver the world-class rail Americans deserve.”

Federal Funding Making a Difference

The $462 million project is funded entirely by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Many of Amtrak’s trains that operate up and down the NEC will receive service at the new facility. These trains currently provide more than 12 million annual trips annually.

“This project is an example of the progress that the Biden-Harris administration is making to realize the President’s vision for world-class passenger rail,” said Deputy Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation Samantha Silverberg. “President Biden knows firsthand the importance of reliable train service which is why he secured the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak in his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This project will enable the efficient maintenance of Amtrak’s new Airo and Acela trains in Philadelphia to keep the trains running on time so that people can get to where they work, live and play.”

The contract for the new maintenance facility was awarded earlier this spring, and construction will take place within the existing rail yard footprint in two phases. Existing functions around the Penn Coach Yard will be consolidated into one multifunctional facility during the construction.

The new heavy maintenance facility will encompass nearly 350,000 square feet within the existing rail yard and feature a two-bay maintenance and inspection facility with inspection pits, a drop table, fueling pads, and two adjacent service and cleaning tracks.

Additional upgrades include a new direct fixation track, removal of existing and installation of new electric power structures, new retaining walls, storage buildings, and utility relocations.

More Rail Projects On the Way

The new maintenance facility at Penn Coach Yard is one of many rail yard facility investments planned around the country. Six major rail yards will be upgraded with new facilities to support maintenance activities.

Several layover sites outside the NEC will also be built or renovated along exiting routes.

“America’s passengers have been waiting for many decades to see this kind of long-overdue investment in the future of our rail network, which will make the trains we ride cleaner, safer, and more reliable," said Jim Mathews, President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. "It’s yet another example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic funding levels making a meaningful difference for the fare-paying public.”