The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) that it will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential passenger rail improvements on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Washington, D.C. and Boston.

FRA is leading the planning and environmental evaluation of the NEC, an effort known as “NEC Future,” in close coordination with the involved states, the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission (NEC Commission), Amtrak and other stakeholders.

The purpose of the NEC Future program is to define current and future markets for improved rail service and capacity on the NEC, to develop a plan to incrementally meet those needs and create a regional planning framework to engage stakeholders throughout the region in the development of the program.

NEC Future’s activities include the development of a Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan (PRCIP) to provide the data necessary to support an FRA decision to fund and implement major investments. A PRCIP is comprised of two components: a Tier 1 EIS and a Service Development Plan.

NEC Future has created a website for more information, click here.