In a strict medical sense, arteries are muscular vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body. In the same sense, transportation corridors are the arteries that determine the economic health of a region by providing links between activity centers. Because of the Northeast's demographics, the relative health of different modes of transportation are closely interrelated. This interrelationship is made even more critical as it becomes apparent that the overall size of the transportation system -- constrained by geography -- cannot exceed certain limits. However, the economic demands on the region increasingly require that the transportation system function more efficiently.
   With the devolution of responsibility from the federal government to state and local governments, it is appropriate to review the role of transportation corridors in general and intercity passenger rail in particular. A review of the state experiences in both the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and the Empire Corridor, as well as in other routes, clearly suggests a sustained state role in financial investment, technological innovation and economic development. For example, New Jersey has invested $100 million in capital in the Northeast Corridor; Massachusetts has invested $85.5 million, while other states have made similar investments.  Moreover, New York's demonstration of a 125mph turbo train on the Empire Corridor exemplifies state leadership in transportation technology, as does Connecticut's work with advanced grade crossing technology.
   There are challenges. Shared rights-of-way with rail freight, for example, pose difficult yet important questions. At the same time, the notion that rail corridors require population density to be effective is being debunked. Intercity passenger rail does work in rural areas, offering new opportunities but posing new marketing and operational challenges beyond providing tourist travel.  For example, the newly restored Vermonter -- with Vermont underwriting some $750,000 in operating costs, Daytripper promotional fares, a more populated route, and Vermont-made box lunches -- is a prime example of the partnerships Amtrak wants to forge with states in identifying and serving key markets with unique and market-sensitive strategies.
   At the same time, technological advances and movement toward increased social awareness of rail hold promise. The recent delivery of Siemens' RegioSprinter to the Durener Kreisbahn at Krefeld in Germany is one example, while recent conferences on rural rail, most recently in the United Kingdom, are focal points of intellectual energy and innovation. In our own country, the examples of state development of regional corridor rail highlighted in this issue of Transportation Matters demonstrate that economies and communities are healthiest where the lifeblood of efficient and accessible transportation is maintained, planned, and promoted for social and economic well-being of regions like the Northeast.