TIMELAPSE VIDEO: Watch Amtrak Crews Repairing Penn Station

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Although the "Summer of Hell" for Penn Station commuters won't officially start until July 10, Amtrak has already begun replacing key infrastructure systems and tracks in the United States' busiest transit hub.

Amtrak has begun conducting infrastructure repair work during the weekends to prepare for and "extensive and accelerated maintenance" initiative it will launch during the summer months, the transit company announced. Obstructive weekday work is expected to begin July 10 and last until September 1, affecting the nearly 600,000 commuters who ride in and out of Penn Station on a daily basis.

Click here to check out a time-lapse video of Penn Station construction.

The video depicts 22 hours of a 55-hour work period in which crews replaced three full track panels in Penn Station's "A" interlocking track infrastructure.

So far, the transit company has managed to finish the following projects in preparation for the "Summer of Hell":

• Renewal of 125 feet of station track 7 at east end limits including the replacement of 600 railroad ties
• Total switch replacement consisting of several sections within tracks 3X and 4X in “A” interlocking (west side of Penn Station)
• ­­­Wood, timber and rail replacement within “JO” interlocking (east side of Penn Station)
• Replacement of 96 block ties in Line 1 of the East River tunnels
• Replacement of block ties within station tracks 2 and 10
• Positioning of equipment in New York and New Jersey in preparation for the extensive summer work in July and August

Amtrak recently named former Delta executive Richard Anderson as its new president and CEO. He will take the helm July 12 and is expected to lead Amtrak through the summer infrastructure work.

The commute at Penn Station — which services Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit — has deteriorated lately. Delays occur on a near-daily basis and a number of incidents such as power outages, train derailment and even a full-on stampede have drawn attention to the dysfunction at the station.

But the situation at Penn Station will get worse before it gets better.

During the summer construction period Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit will all be forced to alter their service schedules and provide commuters with additional transit options into Midtown Manhattan and back to their homes.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News/Getty Images