RailNews

Amtrak President Stephen Gardner, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn, Senator Tom Carper, SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards and Senator Chris Coons celebrate the completion of the third track project. Photo Courtesy of Amtrak.

Amtrak Completes Third Track Project to Increase Corridor Capacity in Delaware

By Railfan & Railroad Staff

WILMINGTON, Del. — Amtrak, the Delaware Department of Transportation and the Delaware Transit Corporation have completed a $71.2 million project to increase capacity between Wilmington and Newark, Del., on the Northeast Corridor, the railroad announced Monday. The project included the installation of 1.5 miles of a new, electrified main line third track between Ragan and Yard interlockings, and a bridge replacement.

Officials said the addition will result in improved on-time performance and a reduction in delays. The project has been on the books for more than 20 years.

“The completion of this project marks an important rail capacity expansion milestone on the Northeast Corridor, resolving bottlenecks which previously constrained SEPTA and Amtrak from operating service at maximum capacity,” said Bill Flynn, CEO of Amtrak. “As we anticipate the return of pre-COVID-19 ridership growth, it is vital that we have the proper infrastructure in place to support a higher capacity railroad.”

Elsewhere, Amtrak has installed 69,000 new railroad ties, over 30 miles of new continuous welded rail and completed over 220 track miles of track surfacing on its owned and maintained lines in the Northeast Corridor and Michigan this year.