Climate Action
North Atlantic Rail confronts our climate crisis and helps our region overcome it by fostering a greener, more just economy and society.
The current Northeast Rail Corridor is at risk over the long term due to climate change. NAR makes this vital corridor more resilient by creating a new inland high-speed rail route from New York to Boston via Long Island, Hartford, and Providence that is better protected against rising coastal waters.
Environmental stewardship and greening our region are at the core of the North Atlantic Rail proposal. A fast, regional rail system powered by renewable energy would address the existential threat of climate change by massively reducing air pollution, cutting congestion on our roads, and accelerating our shift away from fossil fuels.
Reducing Pollution
This transformative project guarantees reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from existing levels by:
Providing new electrified rail routes to mid-sized cities that have been left behind, bring economic transformation without the diesel emissions
Creating new, carbon-neutral infrastructure that replaces fossil-fueled trips by encouraging people to switch to transit
Promoting land-efficient transit oriented development that preserves natural resources and green space
Creating an all-electric rail system powered by renewable energy sources that replaces car and air travel will be a critical contributor to New England and New York achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050—or sooner.
Pursuing Justice
For too long, environmental justice communities have been served by inadequate transportation networks that bring harmful air pollution to their residents. NAR takes steps to begin rectifying these injustices by:
Electrifying existing passenger rail networks, including the train yards located next to environmental justice communities that have historically been pollution hot spots
Bringing reliable, frequent, and clean transportation options to these communities at a cost lower than that to own and maintain a car
Promoting Resiliency
The current Northeast Rail Corridor is at risk over the long term due to climate change. NAR makes this vital corridor more resilient by:
Creating a new inland high-speed rail route from New York to Boston via Long Island, Hartford, and Providence in Phase II that is better protected against rising coastal waters
Fostering redundancy in the region’s passenger rail networks so that if one segment of the network is affected by severe weather, people still have options to get where they need to go
Featuring internationally competitive highest speed technology along the new route that is built to last
