New Northeast Corridor Rail Plan Would Boost MBTA Providence Line Projects

By Christian MilNeil
Jul 14, 2021

The Northeast Corridor Commission, a federally-convened partnership between the states and Amtrak, has released a new 15-year plan to upgrade tracks and stations for faster trips between Boston and Washington, DC.

If all of the recommended projects from the new “Connect NEC 2035” plan were funded and built, the Commission estimates that Amtrak’s travel times between Boston and New York City could be cut by 28 minutes, and that the MBTA would be able to operate considerably more trains at higher speeds between Rhode Island and South Station.

In Massachusetts, where the MBTA owns the Northeast Corridor’s railroad tracks, the Commission’s recommendations broadly align with the MBTA’s own “Rail Vision” plan to electrify its regional rail services.

Current MBTA commuter rail trains currently burn considerable volumes of diesel fuel along the Northeast Corridor, even while they run underneath the overhead wires used by electric Amtrak trains.

Fortunately, the T is already pursuing plans to convert its Providence Line trains to run on electric power by 2025, which would allow the agency to run faster, more frequent service. Several of those projects are included in the Northeast Corridor Commission’s new plan, including:

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