Train-ing for the Future of Transportation: A New Plan for US Trains and the Implications for MX Student Travel

A new train proposal could shake up Northeast travel, and put the US on a more competitive footing in terms of high speed rail with our European counterparts.

Middlesex students are bound together by a strong sense of community in the heart of Concord Massachusetts, but their journeys from home are far from aligned. A new government plan could help to alleviate travel pressure from the students who live farther away. A coalition including Amtrak, The Federal Railroad Commission, and multiple other state governments recently announced an initiative to upgrade the Northeast Corridor for travelers. As anyone here hoping to go home for the weekend knows, right now, good train options are scarce. 

Among the improvements planned by the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Commission is an increase of 50 percent more trains traveling from New York City to Boston and back.  This influx of trains could be a substantial change in adding convenience to the lives of Middlesex students out of Massachusetts but on the East Coast. Four out of the five top-represented states by boarding students on campus are in the Northeast. These students live close enough to get home, but the journey is certainly not as brisk as would be preferable. 

With the new upgrades, a currently draining day trip home will suddenly become much more comfortable. The 176 billion dollar upgrade would not only add innovative ease to Northeast travel but would revamp the rapidly deteriorating, very aged tech of the train system today. The plan would fix aging bridges and tunnels in efforts to make travel “safer, faster, and more reliable,” according to Pete Buttigieg, the US Transportation Secretary. 

Still, some are skeptical. “I would still probably take a plane,” said Middlesex freshman, Timmy Hale.  “The trains even now are more expensive than a plane ticket and if you make it fast pace, it will be even more expensive,” Hale added. Though price is a logical concern, The (NEC) Commission indicated that an increase in passenger volume may actually lead to more affordable tickets despite the presumed added costs given the upgrades.  Right now, The Northeast Corridor has about 260 million riders per year. The NEC Commission projects its improvements could support 51 million more riders annually, according to its press release. Faster trains inevitably lead to more trips which creates an influx in passengers, available trains, and money. 

For Middlesex students hoping to hop a train home, that is welcome news. “It would make it so much easier to get home quickly,” said freshman, Grace Fundaro. The trains not only introduce a higher level of convenience and efficiency to the rail system but they also help to further sustainable transportation initiatives. Trains produce lower greenhouse gas emissions than roadway and air transportation, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. These train improvements could be one step closer to establishing a solid and reliable public transportation system able to circumstantially replace other modes of travel. 

Diana Davidson