Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Funding Needs

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP) funding, focusing on the amounts: (1) appropriated for NECIP and obligated on each end of the Northeast corridor; and (2) needed to complete high-speed rail improvements by 2000. GAO noted that: (1) the federal government has appropriated and obligated about $3.3 billion to provide high-speed passenger service throughout the corridor; (2) Amtrak estimates that it needs about $900 million through 1999 to initiate high-speed service on the corridor's north end and about $2.5 million to rehabilitate the corridor's south end; and (3) a $1.6-billion investment is needed between 2000 and 2010 to increase track capacity and improve the north end of the corridor's aging infrastructure.