BALTIMORE — Amtrak will begin early construction activity on the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program this Friday, March 10, with tie and rail replacement and track drainage work as part of its preparations for the $6 billion project.
“This initial project will directly reduce impacts during later construction phases and maximize the benefits of the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel with higher track speeds and greater system capacity,” Laura Mason, Amtrak executive vice president, capital delivery, said in a press release. “Our partners at the Federal Railroad Administration recognize the importance and urgency of this project and have provided $8 million in key funding to help us complete this critical infrastructure work. We are also grateful to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the state of Maryland for their partnership and support.”
Tie and rail work will take place on Track A from Winans interlocking, at the south end of the MARC commuter rail Halethorpe station, to Bridge interlocking, north of the West Baltimore station. It will be performed overnight and is not expected to affect rail service, and is targeted for completion this summer. Replacement of an existing turnout at Winans with a new high-speed turnot is slated for a future phase of the project.
The nearly 150-year-old B&P tunnel, which actually consists of three tunnel segments totaling 1.4 miles, is the Amtrak’s oldest tunnel on the Northeast Corridor and a source of frequent delays for both Amtrak and MARC trains. More information on the replacement project is available here.
The current B&P Tunnel is the original B&P Tunnel. It was opened in 1873 along with the Baltimore and Potomac RR to get PW&B (later PRR) trains from Baltimore to Washington without street running on Pratt St. in Baltimore City.
The first fatalities of the Civil War occurred when the 6th Massachusetts Regiment was fired upon, and returned fire with armed secessionists as they marched along Pratt St. from the PW&B (later PRR, now AMTK) to the B&O (now CSX/MARC)