Transportation / Rail Programs

A nation’s transportation system is the underpinning of its economic system and a gateway to an increasingly global economy. In the United States, this system is the product of a long-standing federal/state/local/private sector partnership that supports an integrated, safe transportation system. It includes the highway and rail infrastructure over which cars, trucks, buses, and commuter, intercity and freight rail provide essential mobility for people and goods in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

The infrastructure and transportation systems of the Northeast are critical links in the national and international economic systems. These extensive and aging transportation systems – highways, bridges, transit, and rail, and their connections to air- and water-based ports – facilitate the seamless flow of people and commerce among the Northeast states. They also tie this important regional market to the nation economically, thereby contributing to the nation’s ability to compete in a global economy. At the same time, the multitude of plans for transportation improvements in the Northeast, particularly plans for major increases in commuter, freight and intercity passenger rail, is renewing interest in the impacts of these projects and the ability to coordinate and integrate their planning across state lines. Interest is growing in the contribution that an efficient, intermodal transportation system can make to reducing greenhouse emissions.

The Northeast states are the nation’s largest consumer market, and materials and finished products generated in the region are distributed to markets throughout the nation via its various transportation systems. The region’s border crossings and port facilities are gateways to the global marketplace. In short, the region’s transportation system is an integral part of the economic health of the entire nation.

The unique characteristics of the Northeast’s transportation system and its impact on the region’s economy set the stage for CONEG’s transportation policies and program initiatives:

• A passenger rail network is a critical part of the region’s intermodal system and is essential to meet current and future needs of the regions knowledge-based service economy.
• The region is the most truck-dependent in the nation, with profound implications for freight movement and its related impacts on the region’s economy and environment.
• The Northeast has more short-line rails serving communities than any other part of the nation.
• More people ride transit in the Northeast than in any other region of the nation.
• The region’s transportation infrastructure is heavily used and experiences pronounced seasonal weather variations, contributing to the need for substantial funding for maintenance and construction.
• While the region is heavily urbanized, it is also very rural. The rural transportation system affects many small communities’ ability to generate economic development and provide access to social services.

Fundamental transportation principles underlie CONEG’s interests and activities in transportation:

• Safety remains a fundamental cornerstone of the regional and national transportation systems.
• A well-connected, national transportation system is necessary for a sound economy and environment, and it contributes to the security of communities.
• The federal/state/local partnership in transportation must be preserved and strengthened.
• Implementation of Federal transportation policy should rely on incentives to achieve goals rather than mandates.
• Continued strong investment in transportation infrastructure, with maximum utilization of Federal transportation user fees, is essential to the economic well-being of the region and the nation.

CONEG focuses its priority transportation activities on:

Passenger Rail: Articulating a vision for the region’s passenger rail system (intercity and commuter); ensuring policies and investments for overall safety, reliability and capacity of the region’s system to meet the growing demand for mobility and economic development; exploring options for effective, and orderly reform of the federal-state-private partnership for intercity passenger rail.

Surface Transportation: Ensuring a federal policy framework for an integrated national transportation system; ensuring viable public transportation systems; exploring the transportation-energy-climate change nexus and its implication for the Northeast.

Budget and Appropriations: Maintaining a strong federal funding partnership for an integrated transportation system; securing adequate and sustained funding for intercity passenger rail.

Regional Integration of Transportation: Facilitating the exchange of information and opportunities for closer coordination of regional transportation assets, including passenger and freight rail systems.

• Policies

• Correspondence and Reports