Authors: U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)

Date of Publication:  April 1995

Sponsoring Agency:  U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)

Performing Organization:  U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)

Report No: GAO/RCED-95-151BR

Abstract:

The Northeast Corridor - from Washington, D.C., to Boston, Massachusetts - serves more than 100 million passengers per year and is the most heavily used passenger train corridor in the United States. The corridor is used by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), eight commuter railroads, and four freight railroads. Since 1976, the federal government has invested more than $3 billion to provide high-speed passenger service throughout the corridor.

Amtrak acquired ownership of most of the right-of-way along the Northeast Corridor from the bankrupt Penn Central Railroad through the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 and the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976. As part of the 1976 act, the Congress established the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP) and set a goal of achieving scheduled passenger rail service in 3 hours or less between New York City and Boston, and in 2 hours and 40 minutes between New York City and Washington. Although Amtrak began offering service in 2 hours and 40 minutes in 1983, it has continued to improve the south end of the corridor. Amtrak is now improving the north end - in
particular, installing an electric traction system - so that it can offer service in less than 3 hours by 1999. Amtrak recently created a Northeast Corridor Strategic Business Unit and made it responsible for completing the construction of and operating the corridor.

This briefing report responds to a request that we provide interim information on the status of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor improvements to facilitate high-speed operations in the north end of the corridor and on capital investment needs throughout the corridor. Specifically, we are providing information on (1) the ownership and usage of, and operations over, the corridor; (2) the projects and costs associated with improvements to allow high-speed operations on the north end of the corridor, and (3) the capital investment needed in the south end of the corridor. This report summarizes the information we provided during a briefing on April 6, 1995.

In summary, we found the following:
 

• Although Amtrak owns about 85 percent of the right-of-way along the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston it is a relatively small user of the corridor. Three state commuter rail authorities own the remaining portion. Seven commuter railroads operate about 91 percent of the passenger trains that use the corridor each year. However, these users’ operations are generally very localized, whereas Amtrak uses the corridor in its entirety.

• By 1999, Amtrak will invest about $1.6 billion in improvements to the north end of the corridor to implement high-speed service (in less than 3 hours) between New York and Boston. This investment includes about $360 million to electrify the track, $600 million to purchase and maintain high-speed trainsets, and $640 million to install high-speed features on components of the right-of-way, such as interlockings, signals, and ballasted and/or movable bridges. In addition, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), to minimize the impact of the new high-speed service on commuter and freight railroads, Amtrak will need to invest about $600 million after 1999 to improve the capacity of the right-of-way by constructing additional track and/or sidings. It will also need another $1 billion after 1999 to replace and/or rehabilitate aging components of the right-of-way, such as bridges, tunnels, track, and facilities.

• Amtrak now estimates that it needs at least $2.5 billion to rehabilitate the south end of the corridor, which has been used for high-speed operations since 1983. The infrastructure on this portion of the corridor has deteriorated; major capital needs include replacing the electric traction system, installing concrete ties and replacing and/or installing continuous welded rail, replacing worn and outdated interlockings, replacing bridges, and replacing highly specialized maintenance-of-way equipment. Amtrak has allocated $115 million of its $200 million NECIP appropriation for fiscal year 1995 toward meeting these needs.