Amtrak to pursue delivery-partner model for B&P Tunnel replacement project

Amtrak yesterday announced it will seek a delivery partner for the project to replace the 150-year-old Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) Tunnel in Baltimore.

Solicitation for the delivery partner is expected to launch in January 2023. In a delivery-partner model, the private partner takes substantial risk-sharing, impacting overall project outcomes, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

More than two dozen industry leaders responded to Amtrak's recent request for information for the project, which invited feedback on the use of the delivery-partner model.

The delivery-partner effort will complement the construction manager at risk (CMAR) for the B&P program's first phase — dubbed the "southern approach" — which is already in the request-for-proposal stage of procurement. The southern approach CMAR solicitation includes the new ADA-compliant West Baltimore MARC Station; all major excavation for the approach to the south portal for the new tunnel and bridge construction; and some utility and roadway work.

This CMAR procurement represents the first major project procurement since Amtrak was awarded more than $20 billion in federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding, Amtrak officials said.

The B&P Tunnel replacement project will replace the existing tunnel with the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel. When completed, the new tunnel system will improve travel times for about 9 million passengers each year who rely on the Northeast Corridor for service, including Amtrak Acela, Northeast Regional and long-distance trains, as well as the MARC Penn Line.