The North Atlantic Rail (NAR) initiative started out as a studio project based out of the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. Now, supporters are hopeful that this ambitious idea will finally become a reality with the cooperation of a Biden administration.
What exactly is NAR? In short, it is a long-term proposal to revamp railroad infrastructure within the Northeast region. NAR calls for the enhancement and expansion of rail networks in New England and New York, the creation of a high-speed trunk line, and the establishment of North Atlantic Rail, Incorporated.
Phase I of the NAR initiative consists of upgrading existing lines and extending service to more cities throughout southern Massachusetts through early action projects. It generates the foundation for the regional rail network. The cost of this phase alone is estimated to be $35 billion.
Phase II revolves around a trunk line that would allow electric locomotives to travel at speeds topping 200 miles per hour in order to transport passengers from Boston to NYC within 100 minutes. For comparison, Amtrak’s fastest train, The Acela, takes about 3 ½ hours to complete the same journey. This route would include a 16-mile tunnel under Long Island Sound. It would also connect Hartford, CT to Providence, RI. This trunk line is the most expensive and controversial part of the proposal with an estimated cost of about $50 billion.
Completing the network acts as the final phase. Multiple mid-sized cities would connect to the network’s foundation to bring about economic development to the region as a whole. This phase costs about $20 billion. The proposal as a whole is estimated to take at least 20 years to complete. To see more details about the exact locations and phases of the plan, please visit northatlanticrail.org.
The benefits of the NAR proposal extend far beyond infrastructure. The multi-year project would contribute to job creation and the economic transformation of many mid-sized cities that currently experience limited-to-no service. The expanded routes offer commuters more reasons to choose electric trains over cars as their primary mode of transportation, which would result in a reduction of carbon emissions and traffic congestion. In addition, the housing markets of the mid-sized cities between Boston and NYC would strengthen.
However, the proposal itself is not perfect, and it has drawn in its fair share of criticism. The most obvious concern critics have is the plan’s $105 billion price tag. Similar projects prioritizing high-speed rail lines in the U.S. have much lower estimated costs. For example, the Cascadia project linking Portland to Seattle and Vancouver is estimated to cost about $42 million. The Los Angeles to San Francisco bullet train cites recent total costs of $80 million. The NAR estimate is high to account for the miles of tunnels needed to be dug out to make the high-speed route function properly. However, Former President of the Regional Plan Association and supporter Robert Yaro counters that the returns of the rail line and increased economic activity will outweigh the costs. It is especially worth considering that the targeted region holds 11% of the country’s population, constitutes 14% of the nation’s economy, and maintains 66% of railroad ridership in the U.S.
Another criticism of the initiative is the potential for the underwater tunnels to damage the surrounding environments and habitats. Yaro and NAR architects have planned for the Long Island Sound tunnel to go no lower than 100 feet under the Sound to minimize damage to the environment. Regardless, nothing from the initiative can come to fruition without support from the public sector.
What role does the Biden administration play in all of this? Joe Biden campaigned on the promise of investing $2 trillion in American infrastructure. Goals of the investment comprise of “sparking the second great railroad revolution” and “revolutionizing municipal transit networks.” He also supported a strategic plan in 2009 from the Obama administration to bring high-speed rails to the U.S. If there has ever been a time for the federal government to assist NAR in its promise to build a modern and sustainable infrastructure, now is that golden opportunity given the campaign promises made by the Biden campaign.
A federal-state partnership and other partnerships will aid organization and execution of the NAR initiative. It will be interesting to see if the Biden campaign would be willing to contribute 5% of the proposed $2 trillion infrastructure investment plan to fund the NAR project. Having already earned the support of several transportation organizations, prominent business leaders across New England, and House representative Roland Lemar, the ambitious NAR initiative stands to change the future of the transportation industry should it continue picking up steam.
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