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On Saturday, Amtrak removed the 105-year-old Niantic River Bridge in East Lyme, Conn., from service as rail traffic was shifted to a new bridge.

The new bridge will allow Amtrak to increase speeds on and near the structure, and minimize delays on a route that serves as a key link for passenger- and freight-rail service between New York and Boston, Amtrak officials said in a prepared statement.

"This is a major accomplishment in Amtrak's effort to renew and improve Northeast Corridor infrastructure for the next century of service," said Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Boardman.

Initially, all rail traffic will share one track over the new bascule lift bridge; the second track is scheduled to open in November. The railroad will continue to open and close the old bridge for all maritime traffic until it is fully removed in spring 2013, Amtrak officials said.

Other major elements of the project include new track alignments for east and west approaches to the bridge, expansion of the navigation channel beneath it and an increase in the vertical under-clearance above the water to benefit river traffic.

The three-year, $140 million project began in April 2010 and is slated for completion in May 2013.