36 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Amtrak press release,  12/5/22:
 

    Amtrak Advances Innovative B&P Tunnel Replacement Program Procurements    

 

    Amtrak announces new Delivery Partner model; Charts path for additional work  

 
 
BALTIMORE – In a major step forward for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program, Amtrak will be seeking a Delivery Partner to support the successful execution of the project to replace the nearly 150-year-old tunnel. In a Delivery Partner model, the private partner takes on substantial risk-sharing, impacting overall project outcomes. More than two dozen industry leaders responded to Amtrak’s recent Request for Information (RFI), which invited feedback on use of the Delivery Partner model.[/size]

“Amtrak received strong industry response to the Delivery Partner RFI, demonstrating a significant appetite for a private partner with ‘skin in the game’ to ensure a successful project delivery,” said Amtrak’s Vice President, Program Development & Project Services, Tony Ryan. “Timely advancement of this program is critical as we work to modernize and transform the Northeast Corridor, reducing delays and adding capacity for the future.”


Solicitation for the Delivery Partner is expected to launch in January 2023. The Delivery Partner engagement complements the construction manager at risk (CMAR) for the first phase of the Program, the Southern Approach, which is already in the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage of procurement. The Southern Approach CMAR solicitation includes:

• the new ADA-compliant West Baltimore MARC Station
• all major excavation for the approach to the south portal for the new tunnel and bridge construction
• some utility and roadway work

This CMAR procurement represents the first major project procurement since Amtrak was awarded the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding. This is Amtrak’s first use of the CMAR alternate delivery method, which will improve project delivery time and allow design, pre-construction and pricing work to proceed simultaneously. Collaboration on the design offers an opportunity for innovation and reduces the risk to Amtrak for substantial changes to the scope of work later.

In partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program will replace the existing B&P Tunnel with the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel, named for the Maryland native and renowned civil rights leader. As part of the larger strategy to increase capacity and reliability on the Northeast Corridor, the existing B&P Tunnel will be dedicated to freight service, and the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel will be focused solely on passenger service.

Once complete, the new tunnel system will improve travel times for approximately nine million passengers each year who rely on the Northeast Corridor for service, including Amtrak Acela, Northeast Regional, and long-distance trains, as well as the MARC Penn Line.

Future construction packages for the Program will be announced in 2023. This will include one tunnel package for the twin bore tunnel construction work, featuring two parallel tunnels, each containing a single rail track.

[CNJRoss]

Roadway Track & Structures, 12/6/22

 

Amtrak stepping up efforts for B&P Tunnel Replacement

 

Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief

 

Today’s B&P Tunnel

Amtrak

WASHINGTON - Amtrak is pursuing a Delivery Partner model as part of its plans to replace the B&P Tunnel.

 

According to Amtrak, “In a Delivery Partner model, the private partner takes on substantial risk-sharing, impacting overall project outcomes. More than two dozen industry leaders responded to Amtrak’s recent Request for Information (RFI), which invited feedback on use of the Delivery Partner model.”

 

Tony Ryan, Amtrak’s Vice President, Program Development & Project Services, said, “Amtrak received strong industry response to the Delivery Partner RFI, demonstrating a significant appetite for a private partner with ‘skin in the game’ to ensure a successful project delivery.  . . .

 

 

Continue here. 

[CNJRoss]

WTOP-FM, Washington, DC 1/29/23

 

President Biden to boast replacement of deteriorating 150-year-old Baltimore tunnel Monday

 

A nearly 150-year-old tunnel is expected to get a makeover under the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law and President Joe Biden is set to visit the Maryland landmark Monday to boast the bipartisan agreement.

 

The Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel is one of the oldest tunnels in the Amtrak rail system and among the biggest bottlenecks on the heavily traveled East Coast rail corridor between D.C. and New York.

 

SNIP

 

“It’s actually reached the end of its lifespan after being rehabilitated about four decades ago,” said Transport Topics Senior Government Reporter Eugene Mulero, pointing out the tunnel opened during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.

 

 

More here. 

[KevinKorell]

CBS Baltimore,  3/8/23:
 

 

      Amtrak to kick off B&P Tunnel replacement project Friday   

 

 

Amtrak will kick off the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program this Friday, in the Halethorpe and West Baltimore areas, Amtrak said Wednesday. 

 

 

 

Details

[KevinKorell]

Progressive Railroading,  6/20/23:

 

 

  Amtrak completes early construction on Baltimore rail tunnel project    

 

 

Amtrak has completed early construction work in advance of building the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore, the railroad announced last week.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

Baltimore, MD Banner, 8/11/23:

 

 

 Amtrak files eminent domain lawsuit against West Baltimore property owners    

 

 

Amtrak filed a complaint Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Maryland against four West Baltimore property owners the rail provider claims stand in the way of replacing the aging Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel.

 

Full story

[KevinKorell]

Tunnel Business Magazine,  9/11/23:

 

 

 

      Amtrak Awards Contracts for Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program  

 

 

 

Amtrak has achieved a significant milestone in the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program with the selection of the Clark Construction/Stacy and Witbeck Joint Venture as the first of three major construction contractors for this phase of construction to deliver the program. The award follows a yearlong competitive procurement that began in June 2022 for the Southern Approach construction package.

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

Baltimore, MD Banner.  9/11/23:

 

 

      West Baltimore residents want a say before Amtrak’s tunnel project leaves the station  

 

 

In January, President Joe Biden joined Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore in Baltimore to celebrate Amtrak’s plan for a West Baltimore tunnel upgrade, funded in part by the 2021 infrastructure bill.

 

More

[KevinKorell]

Global Construction Review,  9/18/23:

 

 

     JV wins $1bn Amtrak package for Baltimore’s Frederick Douglass Tunnel 

 

 

US rail operator Amtrak has picked its team to build the southern approaches of the $6bn Frederick Douglass Tunnel project in Baltimore.

 

Details

[CNJRoss]

The Baltimore (MD) Banner, 11/20/23

 

Before it can dig, Amtrak has deals to make in West Baltimore

 

Amtrak still has many steps to complete before it can break ground on a new multibillion-dollar passenger rail tunnel that will speed train travel times in the Northeast Corridor and give a $100 million facelift to the West Baltimore MARC station.

 

One of those key steps — getting the property rights to start digging — was the topic of a meeting Tuesday between company officials and more than 50 West Baltimore residents.

 

The publicly subsidized passenger rail company is well on its way to acquiring rights to both public and private surface-level properties — including roadways, alleys, as well as residential and commercial buildings — that it will need to either demolish or otherwise use or occupy for construction. But subsurface acquisition has yet to begin, and more than 500 property owners will be receiving offer letters starting in January for the rights to bore through the bedrock 70 to 150 feet beneath their homes.

 

 

Continue here.