Proposed high-speed train would cut travel time between 2 major US cities in half: ‘It’s time to make the big leap’

A proposal to build a high-speed train line between New York City and Boston is finally gaining steam a decade after it was proposed, Fox 5 New York reported. 

Anyone who has ever traveled from NYC to Boston (or vice versa) via Amtrak knows what a grueling experience that journey is. The 216-mile trip is billed as taking around four hours, but it often takes far longer because of unexplained delays.

The proposed North Atlantic Rail would change the trip completely, allowing passengers to zip between the two cities in a mere one hour, 40 minutes. The train would travel at speeds of up to 225 mph, rivaling some of the fastest trains in the world.

The coalition behind the project includes the Chicago-based High Speed Rail Alliance. “Amtrak has made steady progress on improving the service…and now it’s time to make the big leap and go to true high speed rail,” Rick Harnish, executive director of the High Speed Rail Alliance, told Fox 5.

Potential roadblocks include cost — the project would require a reported $50 billion in funding — and possible opposition from residents of Port Jefferson, New York, and Milford, Connecticut, as a 16-mile tunnel would be dug in the Long Island Sound.

The benefits, however, seem to massively outweigh those downsides, as the East Coast would receive a functioning public transit line between two of its major cities as well as a massive influx of jobs created by the project.

Data has shown that high-speed rail, particularly when it is powered by electricity, is the most planet-friendly form of long distance travel, creating far less planet-overheating air pollution per passenger than cars or airplanes. 

While the United States lags behind many other countries (most notably, China) in terms of developing this infrastructure, the fact that projects such as this one are gaining steam is a good sign. The West Coast has a good amount of high-speed rail in the active construction phase.

If the project is approved, construction would begin in 2028.

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