NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Amtrak is looking to add new routes between New York City, Pennsylvania and Long Island as part of a plan to grow its rail service and add millions of more passengers over 15 years as part of President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.
Amtrak has unveiled its "2035" vision" to provide new intercity rail service to 160 communities and expand service in corridors with heightened demand for rail transportation.
The railroad also unveiled a map that highlights 30 possible new routes, including an expansion in the Northeast that would include service between New York City and Allentown, New York City and Scranton and New York City and Ronkonkoma.
"Before the pandemic, Amtrak was setting record ridership and revenue numbers. The results that we were seeing were speaking for themselves: that people were enjoying taking the train and they wanted to take the train, and they wanted to take it more frequently and to new places as well," Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams told WCBS 880's Wayne Cabot. "New York is our biggest destination, whether that's traveling to or from New York. A third of our passengers get on or off a train in New York City so that is something that is extremely important."
While the Long Island Rail Road already runs service to Ronkonkoma from the city, Abrams said running Amtrak service would come with some benefits.
"Obviously Long Island Rail Road is a great partner with us. If you're taking a train from Washington, here you can have direct access to Long Island if you need, without having to stop and get off at Moyniahn Train Hall or Penn Station and then taking a train from there," Abrams said.
Amtrak said that its proposal would be more energy efficient than driving or flying, and that it would bring economic benefits to regions. It also said it would serve the nation's growing population and fill in "gaps" left by the declining number of bus and plane routes.
Amtrak said it has rights to access all existing rail lines for passenger trains, which would be critical under this proposed expansion.
"The U.S. has the largest rail network in the entire world. Amtrak has the right to access all existing rail infrastructure and there is a federal law to maintain that we have priority over freight railroad. Unfortunately, that's not always enforced, so we need to make sure that we have that fair access," Abrams said.
Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan could also lead to a new high-speed rail system connecting Boston to Washington, which would also benefit Long Island.
It's called the North Atlantic Rail Initiative and it would cost $105 billion.
"It could become easier to go watch the Yankees beat the Red Sox at Fenway than it would be to drive into Yankee Stadium," said Suffolk County Steve Bellone. "We're talking about transformative change here, connecting New York City to Boston through high-speed rail by going through Long Island, would open up Long Island and connect us to New England and into the city in ways that are just impossible right now."
The trains would travel at speeds up to 225 miles per hour.
Bellone said the high-speed rail would create a 30-minute connection between Ronkonkoma and New York City and it would take just over an hour to get from Ronkonkoma to Boston.
"This is the first time you're talking about, not cars crossing, but energy-efficient high-speed rail... which is really a game changer in why this makes sense," Bellone said. "This is really a transit-oriented economic jobs growth strategy. By connecting this entire region through energy efficient high-speed rail, you would be generating tens of thousands of jobs, creating innovation hubs throughout the region, opening up new housing opportunities."
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