Due to the rising popularity of Amtrak’s Acela high-speed rail service on the Northeast Corridor, the intercity rail operator required the design and construction of three specialized rail maintenance facilities to service the state-of-the-art equipment. STV performed design services as part of the design-build team that developed three facilities: Southampton Yard in Boston, Sunnyside Yard in Queens and Ivy City Yard in Washington, D.C. Representing the cutting edge of rail maintenance technology, these facilities were the first of their kind in the country and serve as a template for other high-speed rail focused shops and yards throughout the United States.
Combined, they include more than 200,000 square feet of service and inspection space with heavy repair bays, maintenance shops, wheel diagnostic and truing shops, train storage buildings, employee welfare spaces and trainwashers. Existing operations at each of the sites remained active throughout construction, necessitating sophisticated design and construction strategies and phasing to accommodate.