The Trenton Times published the following article on April 25, 2013. To read the full article click here.

Transportation planners come to Hamilton, Trenton for public opinion on Northeast Corridor upgrades

By Mike Davis/The Times 
on April 25, 2013 at 9:30 AM

Federal transportation planners will be at the Trenton and Hamilton train stations over the next few days to talk to commuters about potential long-term changes to railroads in the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration will be at the Trenton Transit Center tomorrow and the Hamilton train station on Monday.

The agency’s NEC Future study aims to develop a long-term program for investing in railroads in the northeast to accommodate expected commuter growth over the next few decades.

The study includes a number of “preliminary” alternatives to the current railroad system, U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Robert Kulat said.

According to the study, those options would then be narrowed down to a group of “reasonable” alternatives in 2014.

One option is to only make periodic upgrades as equipment falls into disrepair or becomes outdated, while the extreme proposal is to create a new high-speed rail line allowing faster travel between Washington, New York and Boston.

“These plans were put together by (state) departments of transportation and the inside people, but we want the public’s input,” Kulat said.

Commuters on the “raceway” — between Trenton and New Brunswick — likely wouldn’t see any major changes under any of the alternatives, but the route could be in line for additional funding, Kulat said.

But commuters or travelers who venture away from the main “spine” of the Northeast Corridor, which follows the coast, could see additional stops on Long Island or in Connecticut, with a rail line traveling over the Long Island Sound.

Other alternatives call for more local lines, stretching from New Haven to Hartford, Conn., or Boston to Worcester, Mass.

“That’s what this process is about,” Kulat said. “We’re asking what they want, what makes sense and what their demands are.”

For more information, visit necfuture.com

Contact Mike Davis at (609) 989-5708 or mdavis@njtimes.com.