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Amtrak repairs at Penn Station complete, weekend work still ahead – Metro US

Amtrak repairs at Penn Station complete, weekend work still ahead

Amtrak repairs at Penn Station complete, weekend work still ahead

After two months of nonstop work, Amtrak repairs at Penn Station are officially over.

“This accelerated work was an enormous undertaking. We did it on time, on budget and, most importantly, safely,” Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman said Thursday. 

In order to execute the accelerate renewal work on Amtrak’s 21 tracks at the nation’s busiest rail hub, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road trains operated with service changes since the work began July 10.

Schedules will return to pre-“summer of hell” schedules on Tuesday, Amtrak announced last week.

The bulk of the summer work centered on what is called “A interlocking,” a sorting mechanism that routes trains arriving and departing Penn Station from the Hudson River tunnel and the LIRR’s West Side Yard. The work included total track and switch replacement, which will improve service reliability, Amtrak said.

Working around-the-clock since July 10, 360 Amtrak employees installed 897 track ties, 1,100 feet of rail that is equivalent to six football fields of track, seven switches, 176 yards of concrete and more.

While the “summer of hell” may be over, more work at Penn Station remains to continue rebuilding its infrastructure, Moorman said.

“We have more work planned throughout the fall, winter and into next year to improve other areas of track within New York Penn Station,” he added. “Most of this work will be handled during our normal weekend maintenance periods and should not have major impacts to service levels.”

The work is part of a greater improvement initiative along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which will include modernizing stations, infrastructure and equipment.

The agency is also updating restrooms, waiting areas and the Acela Lounge at its Penn Station concourse, and its Northeast Regional trains will get new interior enhancements, such as new seats, carpets and lights, this fall.