Railroad Lowers Floor of 150-Year-Old Vermont Tunnel

摘要

To accommodate stacked freight trains traveling between Massachusetts and Canada, the Vermont Agency of Transportation has overseen a complex project to lower railroad tracks by roughly 2 ft 6 in. (0.76 m) within the narrow rail tunnel that runs beneath city streets and a hotel in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Overcoming formidable challenges—including accommodating freight and Amtrak train schedules—the Boston and Manchester, New Hampshire, offices of the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), together with eci Rail Constructors, Inc., of South Burlington, Vermont, completed the project using a unique underpinning design and a precise construction schedule.