Penn Station Work Moving on Schedule

Amtrak expects the renovation of New York Penn Station and its Empire Connection to be completed on time and without major surprises.

In a briefing last week, Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek said rebuilding of the Empire Connection from the west end of Penn Station to the connection west of the Spuyten Duyvil Metro-North Station is on schedule.

The project involves the Empire Tunnel, the rails between the tunnel and the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge.

The Spuyten Duyvil Bridge swing span is expected to be back in place by the week of July 30, with tweaking of the electrical and mechanical systems to take place during August.

Workers are replacing 2,500 track fasteners inside the tunnel as well as lowering the track to accommodate clearances of the new Hudson River Tunnels.

A new switch is being installed at 72nd Street and workers are replacing 15 miles of welded rail and 15,000 ties.

Surfacing of 19 miles of ballasted track will be done before the Labor Day Weekend on the largely double-track line.

The Empire Connection is used by the Chicago-New York Lake Shore Limited as well as other Empire Service trains.

At Penn Station a new upper-level handbag kiosk is being installed along with a Starbucks and a wine store kiosk.

Platform 6, which serves Tracks 11 and 12, will be taken out of service for Moynihan Station work, and will be restored next year. Other platforms are getting better lighting and new signs.

NYC Bridge Removed for Repair

The Spuyten Duyvil Bridge in New York City has been removed and towed away so that it can be repaired.

The bridge, which spans the Harlem River, lies on the route of the Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf and Empire Corridor service.

Removal of the bridge prompted Amtrak to suspend the New York section of the Lake Shore Limited for the summer.

Once mechanical and electrical work on the bridge is completed, it will be put back into place and reopened by Sept. 3.

The bridge rehabilitation is part of a rebuilding of the Empire Connection, which also included lowering 645 feet of the Empire Tunnel on the route.

During a meeting with reporters, Amtrak’s chief operating office, Scot Naparstek, and its chief commercial officer, Stephen Gardner, gave an update on the work, which is part of a larger project to rebuild infrastructure at New York’s Penn Station.

The two Amtrak executives said the passenger carrier is seeking replacement equipment for the 500-car Amfleet I fleet, most of which is 40 years old.

They did not give a timetable for that replacement, but indicated that it is not imminent.

Amtrak has been refurbishing the interiors of its Amfleet I cars to give them a more modern look. Those cars are used largely on eastern corridor trains with a few assigned to Midwest corridor trains.