Amtrak Pushes Ahead on Trio of East Coast Rail Yard Projects
Combined with two similar projects already under construction in Philadelphia and Seattle, and another in planning for Rensselaer/Albany, New York, these collective investments will support Amtrak’s continued record ridership growth and help deliver a new era of passenger rail in America.
Combined with two similar projects already under construction in Philadelphia and Seattle, and another in planning for Rensselaer/Albany, New York, these collective investments will support Amtrak’s continued record ridership growth and help deliver a new era of passenger rail in America.
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Amtrak awarded design-build contracts and has begun preconstruction activities for three rail yard modernization projects on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which will help improve service reliability and enable more efficient, world-class train maintenance, according to the rail line.
“These investments are key to introducing our new Airo trains on the Northeast Corridor beginning in 2027,” said Roger Harris, president at Amtrak. “With ridership and revenue at all-time highs, we’re making great strides to meet this growing demand with new, state-of-the-art trains that will improve service reliability and the overall customer experience.”
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Investing in Amtrak
Combined with two similar projects already under construction in Philadelphia and Seattle, and another in planning for Rensselaer/Albany, New York, these collective investments will support Amtrak’s continued record ridership growth and help deliver a new era of passenger rail in America.
While not visible to guests on their Amtrak journey, these upgrades are necessary to support new Airo trains arriving on more than a dozen routes over the coming years, said Amtrak officials.
Each train will be operated as a single “trainset,” rather than individual railcars. The new rail yard facilities will help create a consistent maintenance system that improves efficiencies and reduces turnaround times during repairs or inspections, while also improving safety and overall working conditions for employees.
A Scalamandre-Citnalta Joint Venture will design and construct new maintenance, inspection, and servicing facilities — as well as other related upgrades.
Planned Work
Boston (Southampton Yard)
An SPS New England-Railroad Construction Company (RCC) Joint Venture will design and construct a new maintenance facility and renovate existing facilities to support Northeast Regional, Acela, and Long Distance trains that operate out of this yard, connecting with cities such as Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Richmond.
Improvements Include:
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Construction of a new two-track Maintenance & Inspection facility.
Renovation of the existing two-track regional Service and Inspection facility into a two-track Service & Cleaning facility.
Work will be conducted in phases, with full project completion expected in 2029.
New York City (Sunnyside Yard)
A Scalamandre-Citnalta Joint Venture will design and construct new maintenance, inspection, and servicing facilities — as well as other related upgrades — to support Northeast Regional, Acela, Long Distance, and commuter trains that operate out of this yard, connecting with cities such as Albany, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Miami, and New Orleans.
Improvements Include:
Construction of a new two-track Maintenance & Inspection facility.
Construction of six new Service and Cleaning tracks with canopy coverage.
Consolidation of commissary, employee workspace, material storage, and parking into a single location within the yard, including an efficient modular office compound.
Bringing 11 existing service platforms to a state of good repair (required to clean/prepare trains for passenger service and store trainsets when not in operation).
Other infrastructure upgrades to accommodate this work, including reconfiguration of two major interlockings and tracks connecting the yard to the NEC.
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Work will be conducted in phases, with full project completion expected in 2030.
Washington, DC (Ivy City Yard)
A Clark-Herzog Joint Venture will design, construct, and renovate new and existing maintenance and servicing facilities to support Northeast Regional (including the state-supported Amtrak Virginia service), Acela, Long Distance and commuter trains that operate out of this yard, connecting with cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Charlotte, Savannah, Miami, New Orleans, and Chicago.
Improvements Include:
Construction of three new exterior Service & Cleaning tracks with canopy coverage.
Renovation of two existing two-track maintenance facilities to include a new drop table.
Replacement of the existing water main infrastructure within and around the yard, which provides flexibility to serve multiple trainsets across the various facilities.
Work will be conducted in phases, with full project completion expected in 2030.
The announcement highlights the long-standing partnership between the Class I railroad and the commuter rail system, dating back to Metra's creation in 1983.
Crews completed a significant portion of the testing required before commissioning the new, digital signaling system, which will bring important upgrades that strengthen Red Line service reliability for riders and provide Red Line Operations the ability to route trains more quickly, turn trains around faster, and recover from unplanned disruptions more efficiently, said MBTA officials.
In addition to new projects, progress continues on a multiyear effort to upgrade track, electrical, and signal systems on the Metra Electric Line to accommodate the expansion of service on the South Shore Line.
The Maryland Transit Administration is advancing the nearly $1.4 billion Light Rail Modernization Program, which modernizes the Baltimore Central Light Rail Line from Hunt Valley to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport with new, low-floor vehicles and upgrades to all light rail stations, systems, and maintenance facilities.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board recently met for a budget workshop, during which staff outlined the significant service reductions Caltrain could be forced to make without new external funding.
Funding for the purchase of the railcars comes from the nearly $220 million in additional capital dollars Gov. Josh Shapiro allocated in November 2025 to support urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements.
With major events and increased travel expected across the state this summer, the Administration is focused on making sure people have a reliable, affordable alternative to driving so we can reduce congestion, support daily commuters, and keep Massachusetts moving.
