Op-Ed on Transportation Funding
Imagine departing from Philadelphia and arriving in New York City in 32 minutes, or Washington, D.C. in less than an hour. Imagine being able to speed at nearly 220 mph past the ever-worsening traffic gridlock that runs throughout the five major metropolitan cities that line the East Coast. Now imagine these opportunities spread throughout the entire Northeast Corridor (NEC), which generates 20% of the nation's GDP and supports a population of 50 million Americans packed into an area covering roughly 2% of the country.
Sounds like the stuff of science fiction? Actually, it is one of the proposals being actively considered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as part of the NEC Future project. A high-speed rail system to rival those of Europe and Asia may be the most ambitious of the plans under consideration, but it's the strategy that could fully realize our region's brimming economic potential and be of particular benefit to those who live and work in and around Philadelphia.
The Federal Railroad Administration, which has been implementing passenger rail modernization efforts since the 1970s, estimates that the NEC's aging train infrastructure needs an additional $4.3 billion just to salvage it from a state of chronic disrepair. We were tragically reminded of the need to invest in rail safety and modernization last month by the catastrophic derailment in Philadelphia. It is unacceptable that the United States still lags behind in many basic rail safety investments, in addition to our sorry deficit in high-speed innovation and modernization.
As we recover from the Amtrak tragedy in Philadelphia we must repair what is broken and learn from our mistakes. We owe this to the eight who lost their lives and all those impacted. But we should not stop there. We must lead. We must pursue more reliable, innovative, and efficient transit projects for the safety and benefit of the 720,000 people who rely on some portion of the Northeast Corridor every day.
National demand for rail service has grown at a steady clip of 40% between 2001 and 2012, and Pennsylvania is integral to that growth. The Keystone State alone experienced a 17% growth in Amtrak ridership between 2009 and 2014, despite our broader economic challenges and recovery at that time. Amtrak estimates that of the $7.95 billion of annual economic impacts that it generates nationwide, $1.19 billion of that is in Pennsylvania – far more than any other state. Pennsylvania already maintains a prominent role centrally located within the Northeast Corridor rail system. It now has opportunity to lead on rail modernization and further distinguish itself as the keystone of the uniquely productive, vibrant, and highly populated chain of cities that run down the Northeast.
We should not tolerate irresponsibility like the $260 million cut to Amtrak's funding approved by a House committee mere hours after the Amtrak derailment. But we should not stop there. We should choose a future where we go beyond minimal safety precautions and boldly invest in a rail system fit for the 21st century.
Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-13)