NYC In Line for High-Speed Rail Link

NEW YORK CITY-High-speed rail service between Penn Station and Washington, DC could one day become a reality. The US Department of Transportation is now seeking public and private-sector proposals to develop high-speed service in 11 federally-designated corridors starting with New York-to-Washington[DC], Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced here on Monday.

“If the US is to remain economically competitive, we must develop high-speed transportation service for our great cities, just as other countries are doing for theirs,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in prepared remarks in a news conference at Penn Station. “A high-speed train serving the Northeast Corridor is the kind of far-sighted project that we need, and completely consistent with New York City’s own transportation goals.”

Bloomberg added that high-speed service “would also relieve our congested roadways and airports–problems that Secretary Peters and I have long worked on together–and [would] greatly increase our economic productivity. It would also reduce pollution and the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming–a major focus of our city’s PlaNYC sustainability agenda.”