CityLab, 4/21:
8 Critical Rail Projects That Amtrak Can't Afford
A major rail advisory commission presents a sobering new wish list for the
Northeast Corridor over the next five years.
There's a new report out from the Northeast Corridor advisory commission, established by Congress to help improve the most critical stretch of rail in the United States, and it isn't pretty. The commission—made up of officials from states, the U.S. DOT, Amtrak, and commuter rail agencies—has outlined a "first-of-its-kind" coordinated 5-year plan for major projects between Washington and Boston via New York. It's effectively a construction wish list for 2016-2020:
The NEC Five-Year Capital Plan integrates all categories of capital investment from all owners of and operators on NEC infrastructure, from the routine swapping of old rail ties for new, to the replacement of generations-old major bridges and tunnels. The Plan is a consolidated statement of proposed action over the next five years if adequate funding were available.
That bit about "adequate funding" is the sticking point. Over the plan's five-year period, the amount of money available to realize these infrastructure projects declines, even as the total needs grow:
Continue here.
