Amtrak begins major construction on $1bn-plus Sunnyside Yard rail upgrade in Queens
Major works are under way at Amtrak’s Sunnyside Yard in Queens, where a new maintenance complex, service tracks, upgraded platforms and supporting rail infrastructure will open in phases through 2030.
Amtrak has started major construction on the modernisation of Sunnyside Yard in Long Island City, Queens, as part of a wider programme to prepare the Northeast rail network for a new generation of passenger trains.
The project includes a new two-track maintenance and inspection facility, six service and cleaning tracks, a consolidated crew and operational base, and upgrades to 11 existing service platforms.
Amtrak says the maintenance facility, crew base and associated platform improvements represent a combined investment of more than $1 billion, funded primarily through grants administered by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Major construction began on 28 August.
The works go well beyond new buildings. Crews will reconfigure two major interlockings and tracks connecting the yard with the Northeast Corridor, while commissary operations, employee facilities, storage and parking will be consolidated within the wider site.
A Scalamandre-Citnalta joint venture is delivering the design and construction programme.
The upgraded yard is being developed primarily to support Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets, which will replace passenger equipment that has been in service for more than 50 years. The facilities will also support NextGen Acela, long-distance and commuter services.
For contractors and suppliers, the scale of the project lies in the range of disciplines involved. Work includes rail systems, utility infrastructure, platforms, mechanical and electrical services, drainage, signalling, communications and major site works, all within a live operational rail environment.
Recent contractor updates point to the complexity of the programme. Works have included an 8,000-linear-foot water main around the roughly 100-acre site, alongside utility relocations, micropiles, cast-in-place and precast concrete, structural steelwork, retaining structures and stormwater infrastructure.
Sunnyside Yard is also part of Amtrak’s wider fleet-modernisation programme, with more than 20 maintenance facilities and rail yards planned for upgrades across the network.
Amtrak says Sunnyside is the fifth and largest of its major maintenance facilities to move into major construction over the past two years, following projects in Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington and Boston.
The new facilities are due to open in phases through 2030.
For New York’s construction sector, Sunnyside represents another major piece of the region’s wider rail investment pipeline, combining heavy civil engineering, building services and specialist rail infrastructure on one of the city’s most strategically important operational sites.
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