Infrastructure improvements made by Amtrak have raised the speed trains can travel in parts of New Jersey.
A 16-mile section of track between New Brunswick and South Brunswick has been upgraded to enable trains to travel at up to 150 miles per hour.
This work will also enable Amtrak’s new Acela trains to achieve speeds of 160mph on the track when introduced in Autumn 2023.
The upgrade work included the installation of new signal power cables, catenary supports and wire renewal, high-speed turnouts and renewed power substations.
An additional eight miles of catenary between South Brunswick and Trenton is also in the process of being upgraded. This is expected to be completed in 2024.
This project is part of the New Jersey High-Speed Rail Improvement program and a 450 million USD (419.14m EUR) investment by the US Department of Transport that includes many similar projects across the Northeast Corridor (NEC) by Amtrak, which owns and operates 80% of the NEC.
“The upgrades coming from the New Jersey High-Speed Rail Improvement Program exemplify our continual commitment to upgrade the Northeast Corridor and transform the customer experience as we welcome more passengers back on board.
“Thanks to the hard work by Amtrak’s infrastructure maintenance and construction services team and our Department of Transport and commuter partners, our customers will experience more reliable and faster trains and better on-time performance on this busy section of the NEC.”
