Amtrak 90 proposes no physical plant changes for the NECIP, which is being carried out with massive federal funding under separate administration to upgrade the Boston-New York-Washington corridor for high-speed passenger service. This project has been underway for several years and will result in significantly reduced travel times between the major cities along the route. Track upgrading, signaling improvements, electrification rehabilitation, and extensive rehabilitation of stations, yards, and maintenance facilities have been incorporated into this plan, now targeted for completion in 1986.
However, an operating restructuring is proposed in Amtrak 90 for FY 1987 to improve service and separate intercity and local train financing. A three-level, fixed-interval service would be inaugurated at that time. This service would include:
- Intercity express service departing between New York and Washington on the hour, making the trip in 2 hours 40 minutes with stops at Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. Intercity express service would operate every other hour between New York and Boston in 3 hours 20 minutes, with stops at New Haven and Providence.
- Semifast service departing hourly between New York and Washington with additional stops at Newark, Metropark, Trenton, Baltimore- Washington International Airport, and Lanham. Semifast service departing hourly between New York and Boston with additional stops at Stamford, Bridgeport, New London, Kingston, Route 128, and Back Bay.
- Local services operating hourly on the following segments:
Semifast services would also be operated between New York and Harrisburg, New York and Springfield, and New York and Boston via the Inland Route.
Each level of service would be integrated into a schedule that would provide for maximum connectivity through interchange by cross-platform transfers at Providence, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
Amtrak would assume operational control of all trains and financial responsibility for express and intercity trains. Local and regional authorities would contribute to financial support of local services and their primary function would be for local metropolitan and suburban travel. While express and intercity trains would be equipped with cars and locomotives from the Amtrak pool, local services would be provided by electric multiple-unit equipment from the local agencies.