Amtrak has announced that it will undertake a major infrastructure project to replace the 116-year-old Susquehanna River Rail Bridge in Havre de Grace Maryland.
This project is estimated to have a construction cost of at least 1.5 billion USD.
The current bridge will be replaced with two new structures, and its overhead power, signal, safety and security systems will be modernised to improve efficiency on the Northeast Corridor.
“The bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the turn of the 20th century and while it was well-constructed and remains safe, it is a significant bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor. Once complete, both new bridges will reduce trip time and improve reliability for passenger and freight trains that rely on this critical connection.”
The Susquehanna River Rail Bridge is the longest movable bridge on the Northeast Corridor and is used by Amtrak, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail and Norfolk Southern to carry more than 110 passenger and freight trains each day.
Currently, trains crossing the bridge have to slow to a speed of 90 miles per hour, which negatively impacts capacity and reliability.
To overcome these constraints, two newly constructed two-track fixed bridges will replace the existing two-track movable bridge, along with five miles of additional track realignment and construction.
The Susquehanna River Rail Bridge was identified on the recently released Northeast Corridor Project Inventory list, and is one of several major infrastructure projects that Amtrak is advancing to improve its services.
