Coalition seeks Northeast Corridor funding in Trump's infrastructure plan

As President Donald Trump releases his long-awaited infrastructure plan today, a coalition of Northeast business leaders are calling on the president and Congress to provide federal resources to repair and upgrade the Northeast Corridor.

Trump is expected to unveil a plan today that would ask Congress to invest $200 billion over the next 10 years for infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. Federal dollars would serve as matching funds to encourage states and local communities to invest in infrastructure projects.

The Northeast Corridor — which stretches from Boston to Washington, D.C. — is plagued by deteriorating infrastructure and stalled projects and is in need of federal attention, said Michael Friedberg, executive director of the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor.

"President Trump's infrastructure plan is an important step toward unlocking new funding that can drive economic growth across the nation," said Friedberg in a press release. "However, the future is still unclear for the Northeast Corridor rail system, which carries more than 820,000 riders per day but remains in dire need of federal investment to fix crumbling infrastructure and advance projects that have been stalled for years."

Leaving the rail corridor out of a major infrastructure plan could "could upend the American economy, threaten jobs across the region and undermine President Trump's pro-growth agenda," Friedberg said.

"Thousands of businesses and millions of commuters are counting on the Trump administration to take swift action and solve one of the nation's greatest infrastructure challenges before it is too late," he added.

The coalition represents businesses whose employees rely on the rail corridor for transportation.