Rail officials push 15-year plan to boost Northeast Corridor

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 spending 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, though analysts believe it could be a good start. The bipartisan deal, backed by President Joe 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 & 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...