The Trenton Times published the following article on August 6, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
Federal, local officials tour N.J.’s high-speed rail project site in Trenton
By
on August 06, 2014 at 6:27 PM, updated August 06, 2014 at 9:28 PMTRENTON — The most-traveled section of railroad in North America, a 23-mile stretch between Trenton and New Brunswick, has had the same overhead wire system since 1935.
But with improvements finally underway, trains could eventually be able to speed through Mercer County at up to 160 mph.
Government officials, including Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, met with Amtrak staff and workers today at a site off East State Street in Hamilton, where work is being done to bring the track up to 21st century standards. The federally funded, $450 million project will not only employ hundreds of Mercer County residents by its projected completion in 2017, but also will offer passengers quicker and safer travel to and from northern New Jersey and New York City.
“This is an investment in jobs. This is an investment in New Jersey,” Booker said.
“The future for our economic region critically depends on our transportation,” said Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes.
The New Jersey High Speed Rail Improvement Project will allow the Northeast Corridor line to accommodate more trains, according to a fact sheet released by Amtrak. It will increase reliability for NJ Transit, which shares the Northeast Corridor line with Amtrak.