HNTB secures contract from Amtrak to support Harrisburg Line electrification

Amtrak has issued a contract to HNTB pertaining to an upgrade of the power system along a critical segment of the Harrisburg Line, a rail line in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The project, known as the Zoo to Paoli Electrification Transmission Line Programme, involves enhancing the electrification system over an 18-mile stretch between Philadelphia and Chester County.

HNTB has been selected to provide project and construction management support for the Bryn Mawr substation and the segment extending to Paoli.

The multi-year programme, separate from the ongoing track work between Harrisburg and Lancaster, aims to restore all overhead wires and catenary poles to good repair.

It will also relocate the existing 138kV high voltage transmission line onto Amtrak property, requiring the construction of 330 new catenary structures, static wire, insulators, and upgrading of the signal power system. This will be carried out in partnership with PennDOT and SEPTA.

The Bryn Mawr substation replacement is the first of three major components of the programme.