USA: A list of priority projects for enhancing the Northeast Corridor linking Washington DC with Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York has been published by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The list is intended to assist Amtrak, states and other stakeholders with the implementation of critical projects, backed by up to $24bn of funding being made available through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Programme. The list is expected to be updated at least once every two years.
The initial package includes 15 projects classified as ‘Major Backlog’ and 53 designated as ‘Capital Renewal, Stations & Improvement’.
‘Modernising and expanding the NEC through a transparent and well-organised approach will mean faster trips, fewer disruptions, improved safety and an overall better experience for the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on the corridor daily’, explained FRA Administrator Amit Bose on November 16.
Welcoming the report, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said ‘these projects will deliver the modern infrastructure needed to improve the reliability and performance of train travel throughout the Northeast and establish a pipeline of critical future improvements projects. We appreciate Administrator Bose’s and Secretary Buttigieg’s leadership in developing this inventory and look forward to working with our partners to pursue future USDOT grants, including those provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to advance the projects listed.’
