People looking to travel from New York City to Boston, even on the fastest Acela train in the United States, would still spend almost 4 hours for a one-way trip. However, a new proposal has been put forward to dig a tunnel between New York and Boston to build a high-speed rail, aiming to reduce the travel time to less than 2 hours.
According to Gothamist’s report on July 17th, a high-speed rail project, planned to be officially announced in September, is set to dig a 16-mile tunnel under the Long Island Sound between Port Jefferson in New York and Milford in Connecticut. The project is estimated to cost $50 billion and is scheduled to begin in 2028.
Once completed, taking the high-speed rail from Manhattan, New York City to Boston, Massachusetts would only take 100 minutes one way. The project is budgeted at $50 billion and set to start in 2028, but construction could take up to 20 years.
WCBS interviewed members of the Northeast High-Speed Rail Coalition and the Chairman of the North Atlantic Rail, Robert Yaro, who stated that building an underwater tunnel for high-speed rail travel is an ambitious idea already implemented by several countries.
Fox News reported on the 19th that Rick Harnish, CEO of the High-Speed Rail Alliance, who also supports the project, emphasized the need for a more relaxed and affordable mode of travel for the public, with high-speed rail overall providing a more enjoyable experience.
However, due to the need to construct an underwater tunnel for the high-speed rail project, Roger Reynolds, Senior Legal Director of the environmental organization Save The Sound, expressed opposition to Fox News, citing concerns about hastily planned projects could pose threats.
The concept of the New York City to Boston high-speed rail project was proposed as early as 2021, when President Biden passed the American Infrastructure Act, where private organizations initially aimed to develop a regional high-speed rail network from New York City to New England. The project was expected to cost nearly $100 billion and take 20 years, leading it to be put on hold by elected officials.
Despite Amtrak, the federally owned and operated railway company, having the Acela train capable of traveling at up to 150 miles per hour, outdated tracks in Connecticut make it challenging for Acela to maintain high speeds throughout the journey. Thus, even with Acela, the trip from New York to Boston still takes about 4 hours one way.