Emergency repairs and ongoing delays have become a commonality for East Coast railway commuters For example, the New Jersey Transit system recently displaced thousands of commuters, attributing the delay to electrical power difficulties according to The New York Times. Rail repairs in Maryland due to leaks from winter soil erosion and several instances of a stalled swing bridge in Connecticut are varying symptoms of one underlying issue: aging railway infrastructure in desperate need of investment and modernization.
Ridership within the Northeast Corridor, which serves as the busiest rail sector in the country, connecting cities between Washington D.C. and Boston, has doubled within the last 30 years and is projected to continue increasing. Currently the Northeast Corridor provides mobility solutions for nearly 750,000 commuters each day. Increased passenger ridership, however, is in question as natural and manmade events are taking their toll on the corridor’s ageing and antiquated infrastructure.
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