Amtrak has published two Requests for Qualifications, in a push to upgrade maintenance facilities in Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The RFQs are funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and are part of a program set to upgrade 20 sites around the country for new trainsets scheduled to enter service in the next few years. Six major maintenance facilities will receive significant upgrades to support preventative maintenance, routine inspections, equipment repairs, minor services and cleaning needs, according to a press release.
Two of these requests are currently active, one in Seattle and another for three Northeast Corridor sites, which include Southampton Yard in Boston, Sunnyside Yard in New York City and Ivy City Yard in Washington, D.C.
Recently, bids were invited for a Philadelphia site through a separate request, with Amtrak stating that procurement information for a sixth location in Rensselaer, New York, will be announced at a future date.
Norman Forde, Amtrak’s vice president of project delivery fleet and facilities said that funding from the IIJA will help the interrail city service upgrade existing railyards with modern facilities, additional working space and more efficient maintenance practices.
Amtrak says the facility upgrades will improve service reliability, provide more efficient maintenance practices and support projected ridership growth. The rail service provider projects ridership to grow to 37.8 million, from 12.2 million in 2021, according to its 2027 Service and Asset Line Plans. This growth is linked to an upcoming launch of new Acela trainsets on the rail network as well as Amtrak Airo trainsets, which are being built to replace decades-old Long Distance railcars.
Interested firms are requested to submit their qualifications, with shortlisted candidates eligible to participate in the next Request for Proposals stage.
“These new facilities and modifications at existing rail yards will help modernize our maintenance practices and ensure a seamless transition from Amtrak’s aging fleet to modern, state-of-the-art equipment,” Laura Mason, Amtrak executive vice president of capital delivery, said in the release.
A number of layover sites, where trains are cleaned, serviced and restored, will also be renovated.
Additional information on the RFQs can be found on Amtrak’s Procurement portal, which interested companies are encouraged to regularly monitor for updates.