HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amtrak’s track renewal project on its Harrisburg Line is progressing ahead of schedule, allowing replacement bus service to end Nov. 7, two weeks earlier than originally projected, the passenger operator announced.
Booking tools on the Amtrak website and app have been updated accordingly, with ticketing for Nov. 8 and beyond now available.
The $122 million Harrisburg Line project began in March, and has involved bus substitutions on a 36-mile segment four days a week [see “Amtrak track project between Harrisburg and Lancaster …,” Trains News Wire, March 20, 2024]. Now more than 95% complete, is has so far involved replacement of 43 track-miles of rail and installation of 113,825 concrete ties. The project is slated to be completed in December.
Amtrak said in a press release that the project normally would have taken two years, but expanded track-outage windows have allowed for more efficient work and reduced the duration of customer impacts.
Kudos to the Amtrak MOW crew thast was able to do most of this work ahead of schedule. The complete shut down really works much better and quicker. At least one train was able to transit the work zone. IMO it is time to run another train approximately 12 hours difference on single track segments, so freight RRs work zones do not have to get out of the way of an Amtrak train. 2 examples are the Crescent and Bos section of LSL.
Impressive. I know we all, I think generally appropriately, bash Amtrak for its many foibles. I think this accomplishment deserves our applause.