Amtrak Awards Contract for Power System Upgrades

Amtrak has awarded the first of three contracts for its Zoo to Paoli Electrification Transmission Line Program, delivering power system upgrades along the Harrisburg Line.

This multi-year project will upgrade the 18-mile section between the Zoo Substation in Philadelphia and the Paoli Substation in Chester County.

The upgrades will ultimately improve service reliability for both Amtrak and SEPTA customers.

As part of this undertaking, HNTB has been selected for project and construction management on the Bryn Mawr substation and the Bryn Mawr to Paoli segment.

The Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line is owned and operated by Amtrak

Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery, Laura Mason, said:
Once this programme is complete, Amtrak’s Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian trains, as well as the SEPTA Paoli Thorndale Line, will benefit from more reliable service thanks to a modern overhead catenary system (OCS) and power generation and distribution infrastructure.

Our goal is to increase reliability and efficiency along this heavily travelled portion of the railroad, which includes Amtrak’s longest distance between power substations along the New York-Washington-Harrisburg corridor.

The project, which is being carried out in collaboration with PennDOT and SEPTA, includes full overhead wire and catenary pole restoration, relocating the high-voltage transmission line (138kV) to Amtrak property, and enhancing the Bryn Mawr switching station’s resiliency.

Key components involve installing 330 catenary structures, updating static wire, and signal power upgrades from 3.3kV to 6.9kV. The decommissioning of current off-corridor transmission lines and OCS structures will follow.

SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards said:
This is a critical infrastructure project that will greatly benefit SEPTA's customers who travel along the heavily used Paoli/Thorndale Line. The planned power system upgrades will improve reliability and significantly enhance the customer experience. We look forward to working with Amtrak throughout the project to minimise the construction impacts on our customers.