Why Now?
We must ensure that New England and New York* get a fair share of transportation funding and put it towards 21st century passenger rail projects that benefit the entire North Atlantic region.
*New England and New York are home to 11% of the U.S. population and creating 14% of our GDP
North Atlantic Rail
The current Northeast Rail Corridor is at risk over the long term due to climate change. NAR makes this critical corridor more resilient by creating an additional inland high-speed rail route between New York and Boston via Long Island, Hartford, and Providence.
4 Challenges We Face
1. National Competitiveness
The U.S. trails its European and Asian counterparts who have strong national infrastructure strategies, making us less competitive economically.
Britain is investing $160 billion in two high-speed rail lines that will connect older industrial cities.
More than 25 countries already have or are building high-speed rail networks.
2. Advancing a Vibrant Post-COVID Future
The country’s densest regions, including the Boston and NY/LI areas, need to adapt to changing work travel patterns.
North Atlantic Rail will allow employers struggling to afford city-center rents to move to smaller cities while keeping access to larger cities and labor pools as needed.
Much of the essential work that keeps our society moving forward must be done in person, and high-speed rail enhances essential workers’ quality of life by helping shorten existing commutes and providing more choices for where they can live.
When telecommuting is not possible, these 21st century rail projects will not only enable employees to work with ease during transit, but also enter city centers quickly and safely.
3. Environmental Injustice
Decades of car-centric infrastructure investments have saddled vulnerable communities with air pollution and is contributing to climate change, a major threat to our region.
Electric passenger rail systems will drastically decrease the amount of air pollution being pumped into poor neighborhoods and communities of color by replacing diesel trains and providing an attractive travel alternative to current day drivers.
North Atlantic Rail wants to prioritize investments in communities where the threats of air pollution and transportation-related environmental degradation are the most grave to begin to right the wrongs of past transportation projects.
