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Amtrak to shut down section of DC-area track for 9-day upgrade project in October

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Published August 24, 2026 8:04 PM EDT
Published August 24, 2026 8:04 PM EDT
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The Amtrak logo is seen on a train at Union Station in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Amtrak to shut down portion of D.C.-area track in October for upgrade project.
    • The project will cause major service disruptions in the region.
    • Train routes will be impacted between Oct. 16 and Oct. 26.

WASHINGTON - Amtrak will temporarily shut down a section of track south of Washington Union Station for nine days this fall to replace aging infrastructure. The project is expected to bring major service disruptions. 

What we know:

The infrastructure project will target a section of track known as "A-Interlocking," located inside the First Street Tunnel. 

The outage is scheduled to begin after the close of service on Friday, Oct. 16, and will be complete before service begins on the morning of Monday, Oct. 26. 

A-Interlocking serves as a crucial track and control point for routing all Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) train movements between Union Station and points south into Virginia. 

The existing switches and crossovers have surpassed their service life and require a mandatory 10-mph speed restriction that hinders rail operations. 

Amtrak officials said the project aims to modernize the aging tunnel infrastructure, address current speed limitations and improve overall reliability while preventing future unplanned service disruptions. 

Passengers traveling south of D.C. can expect major changes to scheduled routes during the nine-day project. 

Train service disruptions

Why you should care:

The following routes will be impacted between Oct. 16 and Oct. 26: 

  • Northeast Regional services south of D.C. will be heavily altered, with Amtrak Virginia operating limited rail round trips—one between Norfolk and Alexandria, and one between Roanoke and Alexandria. Services north of Washington, D.C., will operate as scheduled between Washington (WAS), New York (NYP), and Boston (BOS).
  • Amtrak Virginia Bus Bridges & Express Buses: To maintain regional connectivity, Amtrak will operate three timed round-trip bus bridges between Alexandria (ALX) and Washington Union Station (WAS). Express bus services to D.C. will also run directly from cities across Virginia, including Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Williamsburg, and both Richmond stations (Staples Mill and Main Street).
  • Carolinian: Will operate via train between New York (NYP) and Washington (WAS), and between Alexandria (ALX) and Charlotte (CLT). A coordinated bus bridge will connect passengers between Union Station and Alexandria.
  • Cardinal: Will operate only between Chicago (CHI) and Indianapolis (IND).
  • Floridian: Will operate only between Chicago (CHI) and Pittsburgh (PGH), as well as between Jacksonville (JAX) and Miami (MIA).
  • Silver Meteor: Will operate only between New York (NYP) and Washington (WAS), as well as between Jacksonville (JAX) and Miami (MIA).
  • Palmetto: Will operate only between New York (NYP) and Washington (WAS).
  • Crescent: Will operate only between New York (NYP) and Washington (WAS), as well as between Atlanta (ATL) and New Orleans (NOL).

Amtrak is coordinating with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), VRE and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to ensure travelers are notified of service changes. 

Amtrak will also provide rebooking options, alternative travel arrangements and customer assistance during the outage. 

The Source: Information in this report is from Amtrak officials. 

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