Two engineering and construction firms have won up to $4.7 billion in federal infrastructure funding to build the Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore.

Amtrak said Tuesday that Kiewit Corp. and J.F. Shea Construction Inc. have been awarded a joint contract to build the new rail tunnel for Amtrak and MARC commuter trains that will replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel.

“We are one step closer to unlocking the biggest passenger rail bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and New Jersey,” Amtrak Vice President Laura Mason said in a news release.

J.F. Shea, based in California, recently worked on subway lines in Manhattan and light rail in Los Angeles. Kiewit, based in Nebraska with a regional office in Columbia, completed a nearly $200 renovation of six subway stations around Washington D.C., and constructed six lanes across 7 miles of the Intercounty Connector in Montgomery County.

President Joe Biden pledged up to $4.7 billion for the project in November. Work on tracks and drainage started last year, tunnel boring is planned to start in 2026 and the project is scheduled to be finished in 2035, according to Amtrak.

The new tunnel will consist of two tubes, allow trains to travel 110 mph, primarily serve electrified MARC and Amtrak passenger trains, and offer a new 30-minute express MARC train between Baltimore and Washington, Amtrak said. Biden first announced the project during a visit to Baltimore in January 2023.

Related Articles

The old tunnel follows a curvy track under Bolton Hill, Upton and Sandtown-Winchester while the new one will arc smoothly to the north under Reservoir Hill and Penn North before emerging near a new West Baltimore MARC station.

The old 1.4-mile tunnel, built during the post-Civil War administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, has a 30 mph speed limit and suffers from leaks, a deteriorating structure and a sinking floor, and also lacks adequate fire and life safety systems, according to Amtrak. More than 10% of weekday trains passing through the old tunnel are delayed, Amtrak said.

“The new Frederick Douglass Tunnel will generate fresh opportunities for Marylanders and help secure our transportation future,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a news release. “This project marks an important step forward in our work to build strong pathways to work, wages, and wealth for all — while investing in critical infrastructure throughout the state.”