Joe Biden's hair will get that much more wind-blown, thanks to Amtrak's announcement Friday that it will purchase 40 high-speed train sets, with cars that can reach up to 220 MPH. US High Speed Rail Association president Andy Kunz (right with Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo) tells us Amtrak will issue an RFP to train manufacturers this fall, make the purchase (likely over $1.5B at $40M per train set) next year, and roll out the new fleet by 2015. He adds that the new trains should stimulate CRE development around station stops.
Andy also tells us that while the new trains will cut down on trip times and allow Amtrak to add more service, an upgrade of bridges and tunnels throughout the NE corridor will also go a long way in making rail more efficient. He says that the combination of new trains and renovated infrastructure could cut a trip from Union Station to NYC to 90 minutes.
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