Amtrak “Pause for Progress” begins October 16

If your regular routine includes a train crossing of the Potomac River, you’re going to have to take that journey in a bus or a private vehicle for a ten-day period beginning October 16.

“Amtrak will implement a temporary service outage at ‘A-Interlocking’ to replace aging track components and improve reliability along the Northeast Corridor and into the Southeast,” reads part of the website with more information about the Pause for Progress.

Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express currently have to travel through the section at 10 miles per hour while going through the First Street Tunnel underneath Washington D.C. just to the south of Union Station. The existing switching equipment is past the end of its life and requires a shut-down to replace.

“A short-term, coordinated outage is more efficient due to the confined tunnel environment and limited access, making phased construction impractical,” the website continues.

Are you affected?

Meanwhile work continues on the construction of a new crossing of the Potomac River at Long Bridge. According to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, the first concrete will be poured for bridge foundations this month.

In all, the Long Bridge project will include five new rail bridges and two new bridges for bicycles and pedestrians. Learn more on the VPRA’s dedicated website.

Today the Facebook page of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority noted that a barge carrying pipes for the Long Bridge Project has arrived at the site.

“Transporting these massive structures by water means avoiding more than 100 delivery trucks on the George Washington Memorial Parkway and local Arlington roads, helping reduce roadway congestion and construction-related traffic,” reads the post.

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