The FDT programme, also known as the B&P Tunnel Replacement Programme, will modernise and transform a 6.4km section of the Northeast Corridor in Baltimore. It includes the construction of two high-capacity tubes for electrified passenger trains, new road and railroad bridges, new rail systems and track, and a new station at West Baltimore.
The estimated US$6bn FDT is the single largest infrastructure effort Amtrak is leading. Construction is scheduled to start this year.
According to the report, Amtrak is developing its management structure for the FDT programme but initially did not have an effective structure or sufficient staff in place. In December 2022, the company decided to hire a delivery partner to provide management and oversight, but until it appointed Advance, a joint venture led by Aecom and Jacobs, more than a year later, it relied on an overwhelmed internal team to manage multiple, complex, and concurrent commitments.
Initially, responsibility was assigned to one person who had limited support to manage and oversee such a large and complex project.
The OIG found that without an effective management and oversight structure or sufficient staff from the outset, the company struggled to produce the necessary planning in four key areas: scheduling, communications, document management, and risk management. As a result, the programme experienced delays and faces a significantly increased risk of cost overruns and additional delays as it proceeds into major construction.
In addition, the delivery partner must now complete programme management planning at the same time that it and Amtrak prepare for and start construction.
The OIG makes three recommendations: that Amtrak advances programme management planning; improves planning processes to ensure it implements a management structure; and provides sufficient staff early enough to avoid similar challenges on future projects.
In September last year Amtrak awarded the first major contract, selecting the Clark Construction/Stacy and Witbeck Joint Venture for the Southern Approach construction package.
