In the Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak is the short-trip mode of choice. Between New York and Boston, more people travel by rail than by air; between New York and Washington, more than three times as many people use Amtrak than airplanes.
Gabriel Gurley, The American Prospect
Efficient rail transportation is mission critical for the most heavily urbanized region of the country, from Boston to Washington DC with New Jersey squarely in the middle. Little-know fact: Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor is profitable.
This article gives some insight into the mix of federal, state, and regional funding required to make things work, and also highlights the huge challenge facing Amtrak and the entire region.
The NEC alone has a $52 billion backlog in delayed maintenance.
NJ’s rail network needs both federal funds and New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund to maintain and upgrade the rail system for the 21st century.
Read the full story here: http://prospect.org/article/heading-down-wrong-track-amtrak%E2%80%99s-northeast-corridor
