All Aboard!
Full Speed Ahead
The start of the new year brings anticipation
of what the future holds and how your plans
may unfold. Last fall, Amtrak unveiled a bold
vision for a next-generation high-speed rail
system that could revolutionize travel, drive
economic development and change the way
we connect communities in the Northeast for
future generations.
Our vision is centered on high-speed trains
that would operate up to 220 mph on a two-track corridor, traveling from Washington to
New York in 96 minutes and New York to Boston in just 84 minutes. We would cut today’s
trip times in half and o;er our passengers at
least four high-speed departures per hour in
each direction.
As America’s railroad and our country’s
high-speed rail operator, Amtrak has a vision for
the Northeast that addresses a major national
transportation need for generations to come.
Estimates show that demand for intercity travel
will double by 2050, and we must begin to plan
today to meet that kind of growth.
A world-class system of this magnitude
would require significant investment and
take time to build—$4.7 billion annually, or
$117 billion over a 25-year construction period.
But when completed in 2040, the service
would generate an annual operating surplus
of approximately $900 million and support
expected high-speed train ridership of 18 million, with capacity to accommodate 80 million
passengers a year as demand increases in the
decades that follow.
It would be a major undertaking—but not
unattainable—and a cost-e;ective alterna-
tive when you consider the billions needed
just to maintain the region’s overburdened
Sincerely,
JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN
