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
Figure 11- Megalopolis Highway System in 2006
(Source data from BTS National Transportation Atlas Database, 2006)
Although the highway system continues to expand, highway construction is always a reactive
approach to congestion. Congestion is more than a traffic problem; it is a land use and
environmental issue as well. Therefore the Megalopolis corridor will have to take an active
approach in addressing this issue through improving the declining passenger rail service
(Todorovich and Vallabhajosyula, 2007).
As a result <strong>of</strong> the rapid highway development, population density shifted away from the
centralized city and expanded into the suburbs triggering urban sprawl (Todorovich and
Vallabhajosyula, 2007). No longer did people have to live near the train station for accessible
mobility; in fact, they preferred to live away from the rail lines to avoid city life. As a result, the
northeast corridor has become a mega-region that consists <strong>of</strong> continuous urban decentralization,
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