Rail officials make push for Northeast Corridor work
WASHINGTON — As Congress eyes an infrastructure package, a coalition of transportation agencies and Amtrak on Wednesday released a 15-year plan of rail improvements for the congested Northeast Corridor that would boost daily train routes and significantly speed travel on Acela express lines.
But the roadmap by the Northeast Corridor Commission, created by Congress in 2008 and comprising eight states and the Transportation Department, is contingent on Congress passing a big infrastructure package.
Amit Bose, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration and a co-chair of the commission, described the plan as a “mobilizing force” for transit change. He said the proposed upgrades along the 450-mile rail corridor would not only create 1.7 million new jobs but also support new travel patterns away from greenhouse gas-emitting cars “as our economy returns to full strength.”
It’s unclear how much of the $66 billion proposed for rail in the Senate bipartisan infrastructure deal ultimately would cover the $100 billion, 15-year regional plan. The bipartisan deal, backed by President Biden, falls short of his original proposal of $80 billion for rail over eight years, of which $39 billion would have gone to the corridor.
Senate Democrats’ companion $3.5 trillion budget agreement announced late Tuesday did not include extra money for rail.
“The corridor supports more than 800,000 daily passenger trips between the greater Washington, D.C., and Boston regions,” said Kevin Corbett, president and CEO of NJ Transit, also a commission co-chair. “It is imperative that together we seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to replace aging assets, add rail capacity, improve performance.”
Under the plan, many long-sought projects aimed at unclogging traffic and improving safety in the busy corridor would be fasttracked to begin construction by 2025, including an $11 billion effort to repair and rehabilitate the century-old Hudson River tunnels into New York City, which typically see 200,000 Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passengers each weekday.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has already signaled support for the project, which had been blocked by the Trump administration as too costly, after touring the aging tunnels last month.
All told, the commission’s plan by 2035 would add 60 million new rail trips annually, boost daily Amtrak service by 33% and commuter railroads by up to double, and reduce travel time on Acela from Washington to New York by 26 minutes and New York to Boston by 28 minutes.
“The investments in infrastructure laid out in this plan will lead to more modern, reliable, and faster trains, expanded service, and a better customer experience — that will benefit customers, economies and local communities along the entire Northeast Corridor and beyond,” said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s president.