(via Trains.com newswire - by Kevin Burkholder)
ST. ALBANS, Vt. — New England Central has passed the halfway point in efforts to rehabilitate its main line with federal high speed rail funds. When the project is complete, it’ll be able to accommodate the Vermonter at 79 mph for most of the distance from East Northfield, Mass., to St. Albans, 191 miles.
Crews from Atlas Railroad Construction and RailWorks are hard at work. They’ve been averaging 2-3 miles of welded rail installation per day, somewhat better during windows when the Vermonter is shut down so as to expedite work. Amtrak suspensions will continue intermittently through Sept. 18 to help advance work.
Charles Hunter, RailAmerica’s director of state relations for its Eastern region, said the various contractors working on the line have a total of 150 people on-site.
New England Central expects to complete work on the line in mid-September. The improved track speeds will shave 30 minutes of travel time off the Vermonter’s route. Once work on that stretch is complete, Pan Am Southern will begin overhauling its line between East Northfield and the Connecticut border, further cutting transit times.
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