WASHINGTON, DC — Amtrak President Roger Harris was recently joined by leaders from Maryland, Virginia, and the national Rail Passenger Association to celebrate the start of major construction on a new maintenance facility at Amtrak’s Ivy City Rail Yard in Washington, D.C.
“This investment will help transform the customer experience, improve reliability, and enable more efficient maintenance practices," Amtrak President Roger Harris said. "We’re grateful for the strong support that has made this project possible, especially from our valued partners at the Federal Railroad Administration. Together, we’re delivering a new era of Amtrak.”
“As a proud partner, Maryland supports Amtrak’s significant investments to increase service and reliability along the Northeast Corridor,” said Jawauna Greene, Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs and Strategy at the Maryland Department of Transportation. “The Ivy City Yard maintenance facility will benefit Maryland’s Amtrak and MARC Train customers with enhanced maintenance operations and improved infrastructure, which will help keep everyone’s trip along the Northeast Corridor safe and on time.”
As it opens in phases through 2030, the maintenance facility will be used for daily inspections, service and cleaning, and more. This investment will improve the customer and employee experience by significantly speeding up train maintenance and reducing turnaround times, thanks to more modern maintenance practices.
The new 860-foot-long maintenance facility will encompass more than 55,000 square feet. Another 205,000 square feet of renovated space within the existing rail yard footprint will as a whole feature five Maintenance & Inspection (M&I) tracks with inspection pits, drop tables, sanding systems, and fueling pads at each end, as well as four Service & Cleaning (S&C) tracks — one enclosed and three covered.
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Additional upgrades include a new direct fixation track within the M&I and S&C areas; removal of existing and installation of new catenary (electric power) structures; new retaining walls; utility relocations; and more. No major customer impacts are expected due to this project.
These upgrades will benefit Northeast Regional (including the state-supported Amtrak Virginia service), Acela, Long Distance, and commuter trains that operate out of this yard, connecting with cities such as Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and beyond.
This investment is part of Amtrak’s extensive fleet modernization plans, which include more than 20 rail yard and facility upgrades across over a dozen routes set to receive new Airo trainsets. Planned and delivered in close coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration, these improvements will enhance maintenance capabilities and improve the overall customer and employee experience.
As part of this program, six major rail yards will be upgraded. Major construction has already begun in Philadelphia; Boston; and Seattle, Washington. Amtrak will break ground at New York City’s Sunnyside Yard in 2026. Planning is also advancing for the sixth location, in Rensselaer/Albany, New York, with award of a design services contract planned by the end of 2025. Several layover sites outside the NEC will also be built or renovated by Amtrak and its partners.
