Overhauling Amtrak

[202_Cyclist]

Amtrak missed a big opportunity for New Jersey-native Bon Jovi to note they are halfway there.

Amtrak, NJ Transit announce new Portal North Bridge halfway complete and on budget

By Anthony Johnson
May 13, 2024
ABC 7

"NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Amtrak and New Jersey Transit announced Monday that the new Portal North Bridge is halfway complete.

It is the biggest transportation project in the nation, they said, and it is making good progress.

While trains are still running over the old Portal Bridge, the passengers can see what will be the new bridge and catch a glimpse of the future taking shape..."

https://abc7ny.com/post/amtrak-and-n...lete/14808274/

[Busy Bee]

Jeez, did they bring in the Chinese to build this???

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Jeez, did they bring in the Chinese to build this???

This is damage control.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/ne...t/73592095007/

The drastic increase in outages also meant a need for more labor, which increased Amtrak’s budget by 140%, but it hasn’t affected the overall budget of the project because Amtrak is using its contingency funds for unforeseen events that are already factored into the cost.

I would not consider this to be "on budget". Any project of this nature will have a big contingency, but a 40% increase is an abject failure, not a reason to pat yourself on the back.