美國鐵路公司上周宣布，在巴爾的摩建造新的弗雷德里克-道格拉斯隧道之前，該公司已經(jīng)完成了前期的施工工作。

這個(gè)期待已久的項(xiàng)目于3月10日在Halethorpe和西巴爾的摩開始。

Amtrak高級(jí)公共關(guān)系經(jīng)理Beth Toll在一封電子郵件中說，前期的施工范圍是從Winans到Bridge聯(lián)鎖處的A段落，包括用13,500根混凝土軌枕替換老化的木軌；安裝28,000英尺的軌道；以及完成5英里路段的軌道排水改造。

"這段前期項(xiàng)目將直接減少對(duì)隧道施工階段的影響，并使新的弗雷德里克-道格拉斯隧道的效益最大化，提高行車速度和運(yùn)輸能力，"Amtrak資本交付執(zhí)行副總裁Laura Mason在項(xiàng)目開始時(shí)的新聞稿中說。

新的弗雷德里克-道格拉斯隧道將是B&P隧道更換計(jì)劃的核心。將建造兩條新的隧道，主要為馬里蘭地區(qū)鐵路通勤車和美國鐵路公司的列車服務(wù)。新建隧道將取代1.4英里長(zhǎng)的B&P隧道，該隧道可追溯到內(nèi)戰(zhàn)時(shí)期。它是東北走廊這一段中最古老的隧道，是美國鐵路和MARC列車的瓶頸。

Amtrak has completed early construction work in advance of building the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore, the railroad announced last week.

The long-awaited project began March 10 in Halethorpe and West Baltimore.

Early construction work took place on Track A from Winans to Bridge interlockings and included replacing aging wood ties with 13,500 concrete ties; installing 28,000 feet of rail; and completing track drainage improvements along a 5-mile section, said Amtrak Senior Public Relations Manager Beth Toll in an email.

"This initial project will directly reduce impacts during later construction phases and maximize the benefits of the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel with higher track speeds and greater system capacity," said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason in a press release when the project began.

The new Frederick Douglass Tunnel will be the centerpiece of the B&P Tunnel replacement program. Two new tunnel tubes will be built to primarily serve Maryland Area Rail Commuter and Amtrak trains. The tubes will replace the 1.4-mile B&P Tunnel, which dates from the Civil War era.

It is the oldest tunnel along this section of the Northeast Corridor and is a bottleneck for Amtrak and MARC trains.