This is an excerpt of an article originally published at Amtrak’s blog.
Amtrak owns and maintains 80 percent of the Northeast Corridor’s mainline, which is used by 710,000 rail commuters and 40,000 Amtrak riders daily. A new report shows what an incredible impact the mainline has on the American economy.
The Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission recently released the Northeast Corridor and the American Economy Report, which is chock full of data that cites the positive effects rail has on our economy. Here are the highlights:
- One out of five U.S. jobs is located in the NEC Region.
- One out of three Fortune 100 firms is headquartered in the NEC Region.
- Seven million jobs are within five miles of a NEC station.
- If the NEC was lost for a day, the U.S. economy would face $100 million in increased congestion costs and lost productivity.
- 263 colleges and universities are within five miles of an Amtrak station.
- Seven of the top 20 most visited museums in the world are located along the NEC.
- 19 professional sports stadiums and arenas call the NEC home.
Graphic from the Northeast Corridor and American Economy Report