This past Wednesday Amtrak President Roger Harris was joined by leaders from Maryland, Virginia, and the national Rail Passenger Association, to celebrate the start of major construction on a new maintenance facility at Amtrak’s Ivy City Rail Yard in Washington, D.C.

As it opens in phases through 2030, the maintenance facility will be used for daily inspections, service and cleaning, and more. This investment will improve the customer and employee experience by significantly speeding up train maintenance and reducing turnaround times, thanks to more modern maintenance practices.

The new 860-foot-long maintenance facility will encompass more than 55,000 square feet. Another 205,000 square feet of renovated space within the existing rail yard footprint will as a whole feature five Maintenance & Inspection (M&I) tracks with inspection pits, drop tables, sanding systems, and fueling pads at each end, as well as four Service & Cleaning (S&C) tracks – one enclosed and three covered.

Additional upgrades include a new direct fixation track within the M&I and S&C areas; removal of existing and installation of new catenary (electric power) structures; new retaining walls; utility relocations; and more. No major customer impacts are expected due to this project.

These upgrades will benefit Northeast Regional (including the state-supported Amtrak Virginia service), Acela, Long Distance and commuter trains that operate out of this yard, connecting with cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Charlotte, and beyond.

This investment is part of Amtrak’s extensive fleet modernization plans, which include more than 20 rail yard and facility upgrades across over a dozen routes set to receive new Airo trainsets. Planned and delivered in close coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration, these improvements will enhance maintenance capabilities and improve the overall customer and employee experience.

-via Press Release