00930552

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/1785-01

http://scholar.google.com...wala&publication_year=2002

The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is a regional asset that is planned, funded, and operated by a national institution--the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). This asymmetry may prevent the NEC from realizing its potential. Despite completion of the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project, the NEC will require massive investments in coming years. The historical funding pattern--via annual appropriations from the U.S. Congress--is unlikely to meet these needs. Regional funding sources may be able to provide sustained funding; this approach is closer to the state or local funding plus federal match regime that prevails in other modes and is expected to be used for new passenger rail corridors. A regional partnership might allow better planning for the Northeast's long-term rail infrastructure needs and for NEC services; it might also provide a channel through which the region could assist Amtrak in funding additional frequency or lowering fares. Amtrak's successful state partnerships, particularly with California, provide models for a regional partnership. The key problem is that in the Northeast no single government can address transportation at a regional level. As a result, an integrated partnership for Amtrak would likely require the creation of a regional entity for the corridor. Through its funding abilities, this entity could resolve the dilemma that exists today: Amtrak must preserve its national constituency and support, and the states fear losing access to federal funding. Significantly, resolving this dilemma does not necessitate any change in Amtrak's current largely unified operation of the railroad.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1785, Railroads: Intercity Rail Passenger Transport; Track Design and Maintenance.

English

p. 1-9

2002

Transportation Research Record

0309077095

Figures (1) ; References (16) ; Tables (2)

Federal aid; Financing; High speed rail; Partnerships; Passenger trains; Regional transportation; States

Amtrak

Northeastern United States

Administration and Management; Economics; Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Railroads

TRIS, TRB

Sep 17 2002 12:00AM

• ALLOCATING TRACK MAINTENANCE COSTS ON SHARED RAIL FACILITIES
• BUYING INTO AMTRAK: ONE WAY TO FIT AMERICAN RAILROADS INTO GOVERNMENT'S TRANSPORTATION SPENDING
• DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE RETROFIT: CONCEPTUAL DESIGN WITH TWIN TURBINES REDUCES OVERALL EMISSIONS
• FINANCIALLY INTERNALIZING PASSENGER RAIL-GENERATED NONUSER BENEFITS
• FRACTAL ANALYSIS OF TRACK GEOMETRY DATA
• IMPROVED SPIRAL GEOMETRY FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL AND PREDICTED VEHICLE RESPONSE
• MICROSCOPIC MODELING OF GAGE WIDENING
• USING SIMULATION TO EVALUATE RAIL SLEEPER REPLACEMENT ALTERNATIVES