“Americans need and deserve world-class rail lines, but for decades we have underinvested in passenger rail,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a recent news conference, announcing a major influx of spending on America's busiest passenger rail corridor.
That underinvestment is set to be remedied with a $16.4 billion injection announced by the Biden administration this week that will go toward 25 passenger rail projects along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
The Northeast Corridor stretches from Boston to Washington, DC and has 800,000 train trips each day and more than five times the number of passengers than all the flight traffic between Washington, DC and New York.
“Today's Northeast Corridor is the product of investments dating back to the 1830s, and many of its existing bridges and tunnels were built in the early 20th century, and many are more than 100 years old,” said Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser to the President and the White House infrastructure coordinator, said on a call with reporters last week. But now, he added, “we're rebuilding it.”
These are some of the major rail projects planned for the Northeast Corridor.
New York's Penn Station
The massive transit hub on Manhattan's west side is getting $1.6 billion to build, among other things, an extension of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven line to Penn Station. In accordance with new design, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will develop four new stations along the extended line and create a public transit connection that will cut travel time between the Bronx and Manhattan by nearly an hour in some cases. The Metro-North connection comes as the Penn Station passenger experience is enhanced by other recent investments, including the opening of the beautiful Moynihan train in January 2021.
Hudson River Tunnel between New York and New Jersey
The more than 100-year-old Hudson River Tunnel is one of the busiest sections of the Northeast Corridor, serving 200,000 passengers daily on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains—and is in critical need of repair after severe damage during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Combined with other investments, $11 billion is going towards a complete overhaul of the tunnel to ensure the long-term viability of this essential passage.
A new Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Maryland
A total of $4.7 billion is being invested to replace the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel (which dates back to the Civil War era) with the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel;. The project will allow train speeds to increase from 30mph to 110mph and reduce delays across the North East Corridor. Due to the tight turns and steep gradients of the current tunnel, trains have to reduce their speed significantly. “The tunnel is the Northeast Corridor's largest bottleneck between Washington and New Jersey and a single point of failure for the approximately 24,000 Amtrak and Maryland Area Commuter (MARC) passengers who rely on it daily,” said a White House briefing on the new Northeast. Runway Investments. Currently, more than 10 percent of daily trains along the Northeast Corridor are delayed.
Connecticut River Bridge
Another old piece of railway infrastructure is the 116-year-old Connecticut River Bridge, located between the towns of Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, Connecticut, and is used by Amtrak and CTRAil's Shore Line East trains. At $827 million, the old bridge will be replaced by a two-track drawbridge with all the modern bells and whistles (including proper signals, controls and safety features). The new bridge is expected to enhance reliability and safety and will allow train speeds to increase from 45 to 70 miles per hour. Construction is set to begin next year and once complete, the new structure is expected to last another 150 years.
Benefits for the economy and the environment
In addition to benefits for commuters and the local economies they support, more directly the planned rail projects are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs — the Hudson River Tunnel project alone will lead to 72,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction, according to with the White House.
Investments in passenger rail will also benefit the environment. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the nation's trains emit 83 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to cars and up to 72 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than airplanes. With all the planned updates to its network and the promise of even faster trip times, Amtrak expects to add more than 1.5 million riders annually—which could have a significant impact on reducing travelers' carbon footprint.
A new fleet of Amtrak trains
The North East Corridor improvements announced this week are just the latest in a series of investments being made in the country's rail network. In November 2021, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that earmarked $22 billion for the nation's primary passenger rail company, Amtrak.
Amtrak is using the money to update its long-distance rail networks, make more than 280 Amtrak stations across the country more accessible and replace its existing fleet with a more modern fleet of trains.
The next generation of Amtrak trains will begin arriving in 2026.
The new Amtrak Airo trains will begin rolling out in 2026 and will feature several upgrades over their predecessors, including roomier seats, adjustable headrests, seatback tablet holders and panoramic windows that offer a better view of the passing scenery. Other improvements will include a redesigned coffee car with self-service options, touchless restroom controls, and dedicated power outlets and USB ports for passengers (as well as Wi-Fi, which is currently available on many Amtrak trains).
They will also be more accessible, with lifts for customers with reduced mobility, accessible toilets and food service cars, as well as a special sound system for people with hearing aids. Not only will the new trains be more comfortable, they will also produce 90 percent less emissions.
Airo trains will operate primarily along the Northeast Corridor and the Palmetto Line from New York to Miami. Other routes the trains will eventually serve include Empire, Virginia, Keystone, Downeaster, Cascades, Maple Leaf, New Haven/Springfield, Carolinian, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter, Ethan Allen Express and Adirondack.
In addition, several new high-speed rail routes are planned for the United States, many through private investment and companies, such as Brightline in Florida. All of this adds up to more and improved options for train travel across the country. Perhaps the dream of a “worldwide rail service” for Americans is actually somewhat possible.
