Influence of Passenger Rail on the BosWash Megalopolis Corridor ...

<strong>Influence</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Passenger</strong> <strong>Rail</strong> on the BosWash Megalopolis Corridor
After the 1920’s, the automobile, along with alternative modes (i.e. air travel), caused
modal competition with the passenger rail service. The automobile was preferred for short
intercity commutes while air travel began to dominate long distance travels, causing passenger
rail ridership to decrease (Miller, 1975). Travel time, comfort, cost, and convenience caused the
passenger rail service to be less desirable than other modes and there was little ability for the rail
to compete with these modes (Sussman, 2000). For example in 1969, a trip from Boston to New
York City takes fifty minutes by air versus four and a half hours by rail. The time differences (in
hours) for rail versus air travel between five major cities in the northeast corridor can be seen in
Table 1 (Miller, 1975). Air transportation is a more efficient travel mode when compared to rail
in terms <strong>of</strong> trip duration (Miller, 1975).
Table 1- Train and Air Travel Time between Megalopolis Cities in 1969 (Miller, 1975)
Another factor that led to the decline <strong>of</strong> the passenger rail service was the economic
organization <strong>of</strong> rail management (Hilton, 1975). Weaknesses within the management services
such as a lack <strong>of</strong> accountability and transparency, financial and institutional instability, and the
need for balance in governance forced the federal government to analyze the current rail
structure (Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, No Date). In 1976, the initiation <strong>of</strong> the
<strong>Rail</strong>road Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act formed the Northeast Corridor Improvement
Project (Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, No Date). The regulation declared Amtrak as
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