For a nine-day period in October, Amtrak will perform critical upgrades at the First Street Tunnel in D.C., meaning significant service reductions and train cancellations for those traveling between D.C. and points south, the passenger rail company said Monday.
The outage will begin after the close of service Oct. 16 and wrap up by the time service resumes Oct. 26.
According to Amtrak, the work consists of replacing aging track components to improve reliability along the Northeast Corridor and into the southeast.
“The existing switches and crossovers are beyond their service life, requiring a 10-mph speed restriction that impacts operations,” Amtrak said in a news release.
This project is designed to address those limitations, Amtrak said, and prevent larger, unplanned service disruptions in the future.
Along with addressing the switches and crossovers, workers will rehabilitate the tunnel track base.
Amtrak said it will supplement the loss of train service with buses. More information on service changes is available here. The passenger rail company also said it will support customers with rebooking options and “alternative travel solutions.”
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