Before providing the geographic and operational context of the Northeast Corridor, it is helpful to provide a brief background of the policy context in terms of what the NEC means for HSR more broadly in the United States. As the only location within the United States that has high-speed service with maximum authorized speeds of 150 mph even if in
a relatively short segment, the NEC has been viewed as the critical test for HSR. As Michael Saunders of the Federal Highway Administration (and formerly with the Federal Rail Administration) noted, many believed that if HSR could be shown to work on the NEC, especially between New York City and Boston, it could help generate support for HSR elsewhere. Conversely, if HSR could not succeed on the NEC, even after the tremendous investment, we would be unlikely to see the development of true HSR in other U.S. locations.”190
Geographic and Operational Context
Legally, the NEC is composed of three segments: the main line right-of-way (ROW) between Washington DC and Boston, Massachusetts; the branch line referred to as the “spine segment” between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (also referred to as the Keystone Corridor); and the branch line referred to as the “nonspine segment” between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts. At times, the New York City- Albany, New York corridor, referred to as the Empire Corridor, is also included. However, in common usage, NEC tends to refer to the main line only. For the purposes of this study, since the Keystone Corridor is assessed as a separate case, the NEC is defined strictly as the main-line ROW unless otherwise noted.
Running between Washington DC and Boston, Massachusetts, the NEC is the busiest rail line in the United States, as well as one of the most complex operationally. Crossing eight states and the District of Columbia, the NEC is used by over 700,000 intercity and commuter riders daily (200 million annually).191 At the geographic center of the 456-mile corridor is New York City, the most populated city in the United States.
Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) service on the NEC connects with its service on the Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia-Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and the Empire Corridor (New York City-Albany, New York). The NEC also hosts or connects with other long-distance intercity rail service to Chicago, Montreal, Richmond, New Orleans, and Miami. Amtrak routes that run fully or in part along the corridor include Acela Express, Metroliner, Regional, Keystone Corridor, Carolinian, Piedmont, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Palmetto, and Crescent. In fiscal year (FY) 2005, combined ridership on the Acela, Metroliner, and Regional services was 9.5 million, just over 37 percent of the total U.S. Amtrak ridership (25.4 million).192
Figure 8 Ownership of and Operations on the NEC
Source: U.S. Government Accounting Office, Northeast Rail Corridor: Information on Users, Funding Sources and Expenditures, GAO/RCED-96-144 (Washington DC: GAO, June 1996), p. 8.
In common usage, the 231 miles between New York City and Boston is referred to as the north-end while the 225 miles between New York City and Washington DC is referred to as the south-end. Because operations are somewhat different on the two segments, they are described separately in the following paragraphs.
On the south-end of the corridor, Amtrak owns and has full operating control over the line, including dispatching, transportation supervision, and maintenance of way. Several other entities also operate along different sections of the south-end, including four commuter rail operators (Figure 8). Virginia Railway Express connects Alexandria, Virginia, with Washington DC, making use of Union Station in Washington DC. Maryland Rail Commuter Service (MARC) runs service between Washington DC and Perryville, Maryland. MARC is administered by Maryland Department of Transportation’s Transit Administration, but it is operated under contract with CSX and Amtrak, depending upon the line being used. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates
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