WASHINGTON — 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.”