advertisement

---

Yesterday, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to the leaders of CSX Transportation, Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration urging them to reach the necessary agreements to move forward with High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) projects in New York.

The state has secured $250 million in HSIPR funding, but only $6.5 million of it has been obligated to date. That’s because the parties have not yet come to an agreement on land and track leasing, operations and management, dispatching, right-of-way maintenance and service measures, said Schumer in a prepared statement.

It’s important that an agreement be reached soon in light of attempts by the House to rescind funding for high-speed rail and other infrastructure projects, he said.

“With funding at risk, it’s more important than ever that the parties complete and sign off on the necessary agreements so that we can begin building new tracks, improving existing tracks and planning for new stations,” said Schumer.