Amtrak commuter lines delayed by concrete ties

PROVIDENCE – Amtrak trains running between Boston and Washington and commuter lines operating on those tracks are being delayed as the national passenger railroad spends millions of dollars to fix defective concrete ties, Bloomberg News reported last week.
Amtrak expects to spend more than $23.5 million this year to replace the cracked ties on the Northeast Corridor, the busiest U.S. train line, and may need a “substantial” amount for repairs next year, according to the railroad’s grant and legislative funding request submitted to Congress Feb. 20.
“This is a critical problem since tie-related slow orders are already delaying trains on the corridor,” Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Alexander Kummant wrote in the $1.67 billion funding request.
The national passenger railroad has replaced more than 5,000 of the ties since regular track inspections late last year revealed “numerous” cracks, and the problem has “accelerated” this year, according to the request.
Amtrak owns and operates the Northeast Corridor tracks from Washington north to New Rochelle, New York, and from New Haven, Connecticut, to the Rhode Island line. It maintains and operates the tracks between Rhode Island and Boston, which are owned by the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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