United States President Joe Biden was nicknamed “Amtrak Joe” for the almost daily trips he made between Wilmington, Delaware and Washington as a senator. Amtrak is the state-owned intercity passenger train network, the American Renfe. The president has chosen Wilmington, where the train station bears his name, to announce this Monday a multimillion-dollar investment to modernize the northeastern US rail corridor, the busiest in the country. There will be $16.4 billion allocated to 25 projects in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.
The infrastructure bill passed in Congress in 2021 with bipartisan support includes a total investment in rail of $66 billion, the largest since Amtrak’s founding in 1971. A year before the election, mobilizing public investment is a trump card that the President to stimulate the economy and to regain popularity in view of a likely very close re-election.
The investments announced this Monday will be aimed at rebuilding tunnels and bridges that are more than 100 years old; They will improve roads, electrical systems, signals, stations and other infrastructure; According to the White House, future projects are being pushed forward to significantly improve travel times through higher speeds and fewer delays.
Combined with Amtrak’s nearly $9 billion fleet replacement program, which will replace more than 1,000 locomotives and railcars with state-of-the-art, U.S.-made equipment, “these investments will ensure that rail travel is more comfortable and environmentally friendly than driving or flying.” ”according to the Biden administration. The funding will also help create more than 100,000 construction jobs.
The Northeast Corridor runs from Boston to Washington and carries approximately 800,000 travelers daily in a region that accounts for 20% of U.S. gross domestic product. The trains carry five times more passengers than all flights between Washington and New York. Despite this, much of its infrastructure remains neglected as the corridor has not been the subject of major investment in generations. Many of the existing bridges and tunnels were built in the early 20th century, with some investments dating back to the 1830s.
Of the new funding announced by Biden, the largest amount, $4.7 billion, will be allocated to the Frederick Douglass (MD) Tunnel, which will replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, whose narrow curve and steep Gradients force trains to reduce speed to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). It is the largest bottleneck on the route between Washington and New Jersey, causing delays for more than 10% of trains every day. The new tunnel will allow speeds of 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour). Biden visited the tunnel back in January to announce the signing of a project initiation agreement, and construction, which is now receiving this cash injection, has been underway since March.
Another 3.8 billion will be used to rehabilitate and expand the Hudson River Tunnel between New York and New Jersey, which is more than 100 years old, carries 200,000 passengers a day and was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Combined with other investments, the Biden administration’s total commitment to the tunnel project will be a record $11 billion. The Hudson Tunnel project is an integral part of the Gateway Program, a comprehensive rail investment program that will improve commuter and intercity transportation. According to the White House, resolving this critical bottleneck is critical to the Northeast region’s economy.
The package announced by Biden includes an additional $2.1 billion to replace the 100-year-old railroad bridge over the Susquehanna River (in Maryland) with two new double-track bridges that increase speed from 90 to 125 mph and the Driving reliability will improve duration. Around 19,000 passengers travel over the existing bridge, which is also used for freight transport, on weekdays. Additionally, the existing movable bridge will be replaced with fixed elevated bridges, which will also improve navigation for boats on the Susquehanna River.
It also includes $1.6 billion to repair and rehabilitate 19 miles of Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line, including tracks, bridges and signals. The project will introduce Metro-North service to Penn Station, improve Amtrak service and reduce commuter travel time from the Bronx to Manhattan. Another $827 million is needed to replace a 116-year-old bridge over the Connecticut River in the state of the same name with a new movable bridge that increases speeds from 45 to 70 miles per hour. Construction will begin in 2024.
Not high speed
Although the Northeast Corridor is busy, there is no high-speed rail line nor is one planned. The Acela trains, the fastest trains connecting Washington and New York, take at least 2 hours and 45 minutes, including stops, to cover a distance of about 364 kilometers, and only on a small section do they reach speeds of 150 miles (240 kilometers). ) per hour. The new projects awarded will increase journey times not only because of the faster sections, but also because they reduce delays associated with the constant maintenance and repair of old infrastructure.
The package announced by Biden does include a planning study to examine ways to increase speed and shorten travel time between Washington and New York. Another project will explore future infrastructure options to improve speed, endurance, power and capacity for faster trains through Connecticut and Rhode Island.
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