A draft study of improvements being suggested for the Northeast Rail Corridor has been released by the Federal Rail Administration. The study looks at what the environmental impacts of those improvements may be.
The Federal Rail Administration is looking to adopt an investment program to guide passenger rail improvement projects on the Northeast Corridor through 2040. The Northeast Corridor is 457 miles long and serves 2,200 trains carrying more than 750,000 passengers daily. The corridor includes long stretches in Connecticut along the coastline and from New Haven up through to Springfield, Mass.
According to a study synopsis, the rail administration has identified three distinct action alternatives for the Northeast Corridor, each of which presents a different vision for the future role of passenger rail in the Northeast’s transportation system. The three are:
- Alternative 1 maintains the role of rail with sufficient additional service to keep pace with population and employment growth.
- Alternative 2 grows the role of rail with service to new markets and accommodates a greater portion of the population.
- Alternative 3 transforms the role of rail by becoming a dominant mode choice for travel in the Northeast.
The public comment period for the study is open through Jan. 30, 2016. Comments may be submitted by email to comment@necfuture.com. The study is available for download at this link.
