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
services to the public, but also provided mobility and the opportunity for urbanization to emerge
throughout the northeastern United States.
In order to connect multiple centralized nuclei and achieve the goal <strong>of</strong> providing mobility
to the public, the rail companies strategically constructed rail lines throughout the corridor from
Boston to Washington D.C. (Ward, 1986). The train stations were built in regions where the
majority <strong>of</strong> people either lived or worked and typically provided service to regions <strong>of</strong> similar
characteristics. For instance in the 1934, the two most prominent cities in the nation, New York
City and Washington D.C. were connected by the Pennsylvania railroad’s streamline electric
locomotive GG-1 (Houk, 2006). In addition to providing service to these two cities, passengers
also had the option <strong>of</strong> accessing cities such as Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and
Baltimore along the route. These stops geographically “strung together like beads” by the rail
lines were chosen based on demand for travel within the BosWash corridor (Miller, 1975). This
rail connection between major cities formed the transportation “spine” from Boston to
Washington D.C. and allowed for the Megalopolis corridor to flourish.
<strong>Influence</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Development <strong>of</strong> <strong>Passenger</strong> <strong>Rail</strong> on Megalopolis Corridor
The development and construction <strong>of</strong> the passenger rail service had a direct impact on the
characteristics <strong>of</strong> the Megalopolis corridor (Gottmann, 1961). <strong>Passenger</strong> rail stimulated
population growth, increased employment rates, and provided opportunities for mobility and
interconnectivity throughout the BosWash corridor. These benefits spurred by the rail system
began around the 1830’s and continued until the 1920’s when the passenger rail service peaked.
Throughout this time, passenger rail allowed the corridor to advance politically, economically,
and socially into one <strong>of</strong> the most dominant regions in the country (Gottmann, 1961).
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