National passenger rail provider Amtrak recently met with dozens of private sector partners representing construction, manufacturing, rail supply, engineering, and other firms to discuss its ongoing and future infrastructure construction and rebuilding projects.
[Above photo by Amtrak]
Participants in the meeting included AECOM, Alstom, Clark Construction Group, the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor, Herzog, HNTB Corporation, Jacobs, Kiewit, Loram, Parsons Corporation, PennFab, Railroad Construction Company (RCC), Siemens, Skanska, STV, voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak, Vossloh North America, Wabtec, and WSP USA, among others.
After investing $4.5 billion into major infrastructure and rail fleet projects in 2024, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said the passenger rail provider plans to increase its capital investments by 50 percent in 2025.
“America deserves world-class infrastructure, and here at Amtrak we are doing our part,” he noted in a statement. “We’re leading a strong American workforce and private-sector partners in building new bridges, tunnels, and trains to help meet the historic demand for intercity passenger rail and improve connections for millions of people in more than 500 cities, towns, and rural areas around the country.”
[Editor’s note: Amtrak executives outlined some of those improvement plans on January 29 at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Council on Rail Transportation’s Winter Legislative Meeting in Arlington, VA.]
Amtrak noted at the industry partner meeting – held on February 14 – that its 2025 infrastructure plans herald a “new era of rail” by replacing, upgrading, and repairing iconic century-old bridges, tunnels, stations, and other critical infrastructure assets.
Amtrak is also replacing a majority of its train fleet, which serves 500-plus communities in 46 states, as its rail equipment today averages nearly 40 years old, with some equipment dating back to Amtrak’s creation in 1971.
Collectively, those actions include:
- Introducing new trains across the country, with 111 modern trainsets and 125 high-powered locomotives in production, as well as an upcoming contract award to replace hundreds of long-distance railcars.
- Building new bridges and tunnels that will remove major bottlenecks, including breaking ground on a megaproject to replace the 151-year-old Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel and improving accessibility at 380-plus stations across Amtrak’s national rail network.
- Conducting important annual renewal work through its state-of-good repair program, which maintains tracks, signals, power, and other important rail systems.
Amtrak also noted that it achieved an all-time ridership record of 32.8 million customers in fiscal year 2024, with a goal of doubling ridership to 66 million by 2040. Amtrak also garnered ticket revenue of $2.5 billion in FY 2024 – a 9 percent increase over FY 2023 – as part of its total FY 2024 operating revenue of $3.6 billion.
“Breaking our ridership record is just the beginning,” Gardner noted in a separate statement. “This record ridership shows that travelers throughout the U.S. want efficient travel options, and we are committed to meeting that demand. Through bold investments, strong partnerships with states and host railroads, and dedicated planning, we are doubling down on our vision to connect more people and communities like never before.”
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