Amtrak’s US$6bn ‘single largest’ project at risk of overruns and delays

An Amtrak train navigates the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which will be renamed the Frederick Douglass Tunnel. (Image: Amtrak)

In a recent report, Amtrak’s OIG found the company “has not completed all necessary planning for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel (FDT) programme despite the approach of major construction.”

The OIG noted, dating back to 2017, the FDT project has not been appropriately staffed nor was an “effective structure” in place to manage the massive build.

At one point, responsibility for the project was assigned internally to just one single person, the OIG said, “who had limited support to manage and oversee a programme of this size and complexity.”

A contract to construct one tunnel was delivered in February of this year to JV Kiewit/J.F. Shea, then a “delivery partner” contract was signed just two months later with JV Aecom/Jacobs. This is in addition to preconstruction work delivered to Clark/Stacy Witbeck Joint Venture in 2023. It’s unclear what work beyond demolition has taken place.

Two contractors win major contract on Baltimore’s $4.7bn Frederick Douglass tunnel A joint venture between Kiewit and J.F. Shea has won a deal to build a new railway tunnel in Baltimore, USA, as part of a project backed by up to $4.7 billion in federal funding.

The OIG suggested this lack of clarity could further trouble the expansive scheme.

“Amtrak did not establish a programme management structure early enough,” OIG said. “Without an effective management and oversight structure or sufficient staff from the outset, the company struggled to produce the necessary planning in four key areas: scheduling, communications, document management, and risk management.

“As a result, the program experienced delays and faces a significantly increased risk of cost overruns and additional delays as it proceeds into major construction.”

OIG’s report added that the existing delivery partner “must now concurrently complete program management planning at the same time that it and Amtrak prepare for and start construction.”

Construction is still expected to start this year with a project completion date set for 2035.

Amtrak signs AECOM-Jacobs JV for US$6bn tunnel project The railroad company will commence major construction work later this year

More on the Frederick Douglass Tunnel project

The existing tunnel system (named Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel) is located in the Washington D.C. metro area, is 150 years old, and houses tracks that run beneath the Potomac River and urban neighbourhoods. It is a vital link between the nation’s capital and the City of Baltimore, Maryland, and surrounding states. However, it’s present condition acts as a significant cog to the greater Northeast Corridor railway system.

An Amtrak train arrives at a station. (Image: Adobe Stock)

Due to the high-density urban setting and large population it serves, the existing and aged infrastructure often leads to bottlenecks, with the FDT project aiming to expand and improve train flow and accessibility.

The programme seeks to add two parallel, single-track tube tunnels to reduce the backup, with designs to improve travel time from as far south as Virigina and north to New Jersey.

Each new tunnel, to be located just south of Baltimore’s Penn Station, will be around 2 mi long and support higher maximum train speeds than the existing tunnel; trains are currently limited to 30 mph due to tight curves.

What is the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General?

The OIG for Amtrak was created in 1978 to provide independent oversight of the company’s programmes and operations and serves as a watchdog department to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse.

Amtrak is a quasi-public corporation that operates and manages most US passenger rail routes.