Amtrak will have several advancements and increase seating capacity this coming 2021 thanks to $2.45 billion worth of federal government loan. The upgrades will afford for high speed rail transport to the Northeast Corridor.
Last Friday, vice president Joe Biden announced that the federal government has acquired $2.45 billion worth of loans to afford for high-tech and high speed rail stations. The government official emphasized that since the US is lacking with respect to technological upgrades of its transportation system, this development will afford not only additional jobs for citizens but would also make the US competitive in this area, reported Engadget.
The Upgrades
Biden announced at Wilmington, Delaware that the high speed rail upgrades will consist of improved WiFi quality, will boost the trains' speed to 160-186 mph, and will also maximize seating capacity to an additional 40%. Furthermore, the aerodynamic design will also make the units lighter and lessen energy consumption by about 20%. These applications will be lodged for $2 billion of the investment.
The remaining $450 million of the federal loan will be used to improve prevailing stations including the Union Station in the nation's capital and that of New York City's Penn Station. What remains of the budget will also be used to improve infrastructures between Boston and Washington D.C.
In other news, BBC reported that Biden also discussed how far the US transportation improvements are with respect to high speed rail units in Japan. The said updates would be more competitive with respect to Japan's 200 mph powered trains.
Amtrak, the company concerned with this type of government infrastructure and transportation services, was able to acquire data that showed 11.7 million passengers use this type of transportation just in 2015 alone. By 2021, it was said that Northeast Corridor project would be able to contribute a whopping $50 billion worth of workforce to the national economic engine and increase national GDP as well, according to Senator Cory Booker.
With improvements lodged for US high speed rail stations, this will create more jobs, improve transportation in the country, and make the national economy more competitive with respect to technological upgrades with countries such as Japan.
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