Update - Upper Hudson Express Cable Installation Project
February 24th, 2022
Banton is installing nearly 60 miles of Signalization, Power, and Fiber Optic cables with associated infrastructure to support the implementation of Positive Train Control Systems (PTC) for Metro-North Railroad from Croton to Poughkeepsie in New York State. PTC is a system that greatly enhances Rail Safety and Efficiency for both passenger and freight traffic.
The Upper Hudson Railway is an extraordinarily active railway serving as a main artery for Amtrak services from NYC to Poughkeepsie and points north including into Canada, the MNR commuter rail from Poughkeepsie into NYC and the main thoroughfare for CSX freight traffic connections throughout the country. The railway runs on a sliver of land between the Hudson Highland Mountains on the east side of the tracks and just feet from the Hudson River on the west side. Installation challenges include work through railway tunnels, over rail bridges and extensive work throughout remote areas with extremely limited access.
While maintaining the active railway, Banton is performing a varied assortment of civil work; including removing thousands of yards of glacial and metamorphic rock, performing excavations adjacent to MNR tracks requiring rerouting of locomotives, and cross track excavations (digging under the railroad from one side of the tracks to the other).
In addition to providing the infrastructure, Banton is utilizing two full power locomotives to install cables with a locomotive plow system. The plow system breaks the earth and installs direct bury rated cables along the MNR right of way right from the tracks.
Major Subcontractors on this Project include Verde Electric, Michels Power, Precision Locomotive and many others.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2023.
Photo Credit: Douglas Cunningham, Publisher and Editor, Putnam County News and Recorder
