Amtrak issues LOI for Southern Approach construction package of the B&P Tunnel project
Amtrak issued a Request for Letters of Interest (LOI) last week for the first of three construction contracts for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program in Baltimore, Md. The billion-dollar-plus Southern Approach construction package will be completed under a Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) delivery approach.
The 150-year-old B&P Tunnel is the oldest tunnel on Amtrak’s network and suffers many age-related issues. The 1.4-mile tunnel is a single point of failure for MARC’s busiest line, the Penn Line, and the Northeast Corridor (NEC). Amtrak and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) will work together to replace the tunnel, which Amtrak calls the biggest passenger rail bottleneck between Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
The B&P Tunnel Replacement Program will modernize and transform a four-mile section of the NEC and includes two new high-capacity tubes for electrified passenger trains, new roadway and railroad bridges, new rail systems and track and a new ADA-accessible West Baltimore MARC station.
When the project is complete, the tunnel will be called the Frederick Douglass Tunnel. Douglass, one of the most well-known abolitionists in history, was a Maryland native and the railroad played a key role in his escape from slavery.
“This is a major milestone for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program and this contract includes several critical elements of the project,” said Amtrak’s Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “Amtrak will be procuring multiple construction contracts as part of the program, which will include the construction of the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel, and other supporting investments, such as new bridges and railroad infrastructure, improving this vital stretch of the Northeast Corridor for generations to come.”
Amtrak is directing interested contractors to its Procurement Portal for submittal requirements. The railroads says the LOI must be complete for interested contractors interested to be eligible to receive the Request For Proposals that will be issued for this portion of the project later this year. Amtrak explains it will issue the RFP only to those contractors who have submitted timely and compliant LOIs.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
