Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation issued a request for information for a P3 project to redevelop 11 Amtrak stations along the Harrisburg-to-Philadelphia corridor, known commonly as the Keystone service.
PennDOT's Office of Public Private Partnerships issued the request. In a statement on Feb. 20, it said the RFI is for information only and does not initiate a formal procurement process. "[It] is intended solely to obtain such information to assist PennDOT on an administrative level in the evaluation of delivery and procurement options and the further development of a financial plan for the procurement development," the P3 office said in the document.
Closing date is March 17.
Legislation in 2012 established the P3 office. Two weeks ago PennDOT received statements of qualification from five groups bidding for work under its rapid bridge replacement project.
The Amtrak Keystone trains run on the 104-mile route between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The project includes Harrisburg, Middletown, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Lancaster, Parkesburg, Coatesville, Downington, Exton, Paoli and Ardmore stations. Additionally, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority stops at the latter four stations in its Philadelphia-to-Thorndale service.
According to the document, while conditions vary by station, operational and facility needs exist throughout the project route. They include snow removal and other routine maintenance, as well as lighting and security technology.
Additionally, most stations need capital improvements including parking for current weekday ridership and "future growth"; integration with rail, bus and cycling transportation; and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The P3 office said the work could include a design-build-finance-operate-maintain agreement with an availability structure as the project delivery mechanism, "However, PennDOT is also open to ideas on other commercial structures that would help deliver these infrastructure improvements and/or operate the facilities in an efficient way," it said.
Also, PennDOT is considering building contiguous stations into multiple procurement packages, provided Amtrak performs reconstruction within its right-of-way, and is encouraging ideas about commercial development adjacent to the stations.
The Harrisburg station, officially called the Harrisburg Transportation Center, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Amtrak has a long-term plan to upgrade it with two 500-foot long, high-level platforms to comply with ADA and Amtrak requirements.
