NEC FUTURE: A Rail Investment Plan for the Northeast Corridor

Welcome to NEC FUTURE, a comprehensive planning effort to define, evaluate, and prioritize future investments in the Northeast Corridor (NEC), from Washington, D.C. to Boston. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) launched NEC FUTURE in February 2012 to consider the role of rail passenger service in the context of current and future transportation demands. Through the NEC FUTURE program, the FRA will determine a long-term vision and investment program for the NEC and provide a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Service Development Plan (SDP) in 2016 in support of that vision.

Essential Legal Forms

While preparing our project documents, we understood that there is a lack of quality templates to use. That’s why, among other things, we aim at providing helpful legal forms so that you can get your document quickly and easily. We’ve gathered and divided these documents into sections for your convenience. Check them out below.

PDF Requests

The first section is devoted to the request templates. Official requests are often used when a person wants to ask for assistance from a specific company or organization. Here, you will find the form to request a loan on your policy, payoff (amount of money owed in total), or student transcript information. Note that you will have to obtain the student’s consent or prepare your consent (if you are the student) to receive the transcripts.

PDF Applications

Application forms are frequently used documents helping individuals apply for a job position, loan, or passport. We have the templates provided by particular companies, such as Pollo Loco, Pizza Hut, or Piggly Wiggly, for you to apply for their vacancies. You can also use the following forms to apply for a personal loan or plumbing permit.

PDF Permits

An individual or entity uses permits to be allowed to do something. Permits are often used during construction works—it’s necessary to receive a building permit from your local authorities to begin construction or rebuilding. Sometimes, you will also have to complete a parking permit template to receive your parking pass. This document may be helpful during exhibitions or similar events.

Personal PDF Forms

Sometimes, you need to prepare personal documents where you can describe in detail your personal information, family background, and educational history. We’ve distinguished these forms into a separate section so that you can find and easily prepare the necessary documents, like personal training, history, or deed form.

Patient PDF Forms

In this section, you can find the templates that may be filled out by patients and for patients of specific health care centers or hospitals. These forms can be used to collect demographic data and other information on the events that may have an impact on a patient (a patient care report) or to assess the patient’s eligibility for nursing home placement (a patient review instrument).

Police PDF Forms

This section combines various forms related to US police departments. They may be helpful for firearms buyers to complete a pistol license applicant questionnaire and obtain permission to carry their weapons. One of the most widely-used forms is a police vehicle checklist. It’s required for drivers to complete their vehicle’s inspection before driving a car. Look through the other relevant police documents below.

PDF Forms for Pets

All pets require a responsible attitude and care. If you have a pet, you will probably want to provide it with the best. The first step to do it is to select pet medical insurance. We prepare some forms to claim a suitable pet health care plan. You will need to complete a pet insurance or pet plan form to get the appropriate care for your pet.

Postal Service PDF Forms

The following forms are provided by the United States Postal Service—the entity that delivers mail and goods across the United States. These forms may be useful for individuals who need to change the address or box holder information or apply for a post office savings account opening. There is also a specific form that needs to be filled out if you lose your package or it gets damaged. It is called a postal claim form and will help you find your parcel or receive compensation for damage.

Paychex PDF Forms

Some of our forms are designed for specific companies or organizations. The following documents can be used for Paychex customers. For example, you may use the Paychex direct deposit form if you need to enroll or change bank accounts. The Paychex pay stub form is designed to record employees’ wages earned during a specific period of time. The Paychex employee change/termination form is required when there is a change in your employee’s salary or employment status.

State-Specific PDF Forms

Many forms and documents should be prepared in accordance with your state laws and requirements. That’s why we’ve added state-specific forms that may come in handy if you plan to register your enterprise in Pennsylvania or file a personal income tax in New Mexico. The following templates can also be beneficial for Florida, Michigan, New York, and Texas residents.

County-Specific PDF Forms

The paperwork can be regulated at a state and county level. This is especially relevant when it comes to estate planning and marital regulations. So, when you need to prepare specific documentation, you are also recommended to consult your local laws. The following templates may help you announce the beginning of a specific construction project, prepare a plaintiff’s claim to start a lawsuit, or file for divorce in the county you live in.

Other PDF Forms

Having everything documented is the best way to avoid confusion, misunderstandings, and possible legal issues. With this in mind, we have gathered legal templates that can be beneficial in most professional and everyday life. For example, you can use a physician statement form to inform your insurance company about your medical status or prepare a petition of custody in order to get the desired child custody arrangements. Look through the forms below and use them to ease your life.

About NEC FUTURE

NEC FUTURE is a key component of the region’s transportation system and vital to its sustained economic growth. Today, the 457-mile NEC—anchored by Washington, D.C.’s Union Station in the south, New York’s Pennsylvania Station in the center, and Boston’s South Station in the north—is one of the most heavily traveled rail corridors in the world. The NEC is shared by intercity, commuter, and freight operations and moves more than 365 million passengers and 14 million car miles of freight per year.

While improvements continue to be made, the NEC faces serious challenges, with century-old infrastructure, outdated technology, and inadequate capacity to meet current or projected travel demand. With similar capacity issues on the region’s highways and some of the most congested airports in the nation, the Northeast’s economic future could be hampered by transportation constraints.

Responding to these pressing issues, the FRA initiated NEC FUTURE as a comprehensive planning process for future investment in the corridor. NEC FUTURE will create a framework for the future investments needed to improve passenger rail capacity and service through 2040. Technical work includes an analysis of market conditions in the corridor, development of program alternatives, an evaluation of the environmental impacts of those alternatives, and a recommended approach that balances the needs of various users of the corridor—whether commuters, intercity passengers, or freight— in a manner that ensures safe, efficient travel throughout the Northeast.

 

Yet, NEC FUTURE is not only a technical process. Equally important is the opportunity for a broad public dialogue to establish a future vision for the corridor. By bringing together numerous stakeholders from the corridor’s eight states and the District of Columbia, the planning process is structured to help foster a broad agreement on future directions for corridor investment.

Purpose and Need

The purpose of the NEC FUTURE program is to upgrade aging infrastructure and to improve the reliability, capacity, connectivity, performance, and resiliency of passenger rail service on the NEC for both intercity and regional trips while promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.

State of Good Repair

Service quality currently falls short due to the aging and obsolete infrastructure that has resulted from insufficient investment in maintaining a state of good repair on the existing NEC. Achieving and maintaining a state of good repair is needed to improve service.

Connectivity

There is a need to improve the reach and effectiveness of the passenger rail network currently limited by gaps in connectivity among transportation modes and between different rail services.

Capacity

In order to accommodate both existing riders and future growth in ridership, improvements at critical infrastructure chokepoints are needed to fix severe capacity constraints that limit service expansion and enhancements.

Performance

In many markets, the trip times on passenger rail within the study area are not competitive with travel by air or highway. Improvements in travel times, frequency, or service hours are needed to make passenger rail competitive with other modes.

System-Wide Resiliency

The NEC is vulnerable to the effect of severe storms. A more resilient and redundant passenger rail network is needed to enhance the safety, security, and reliability of the region’s transportation system.

Environmental Sustainability

Throughout the Study Area, energy use and emissions associated with transportation affect the built and natural environment. Passenger rail can help meet the region’s mobility needs with fewer environmental impacts.

Economic Growth

A transportation system that provides options for reliable, efficient, and cost-effective passengers and goods is needed for continued economic growth in the Northeast region. The region’s knowledge-based economic sector, including academic research and medical facilities, is especially reliant on access to convenient, reliable, and frequent rail service.

News & Announcements

02.17.16

NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Draft EIS Comment Period Closes

The comment period for the NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now closed. The FRA will consider all comments received from the public, agencies, and stakeholders, as well as the analysis presented in the Tier 1 Draft EIS and FRA policy objectives, to identify a preferred investment program (Preferred Alternative). The Preferred Alternative will provide a framework for future rail improvements on the NEC and will be described and evaluated in the Tier 1 Final EIS, which is scheduled to be released this fall.

01.21.16

The FRA Extends Comment Period for Tier 1 Draft EIS

The FRA has extended the Tier 1 Draft EIS comment period to February 15, 2016. Due to the federal holiday, comments will now be accepted until February 16.

11.10.15

Tier 1 Draft EIS Available for Public Comment

The FRA has released the Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for NEC FUTURE. The Tier 1 Draft EIS assesses the broad impacts of an investment program to improve passenger rail service within the NEC FUTURE Study Area. It evaluates three Action Alternatives for the NEC against a No Action Alternative and considers impacts to transportation, the economy, the built environment, and natural resources.

The public comment period for the Tier 1 Draft EIS is open until January 30, 2016. Comments may be submitted on this website using the comment form, by email to, by mail, or in person at a public hearing. Comments sent via social media will not be included as part of the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement decision-making process.

During the comment period, the FRA will be conducting eleven public hearings throughout the NEC FUTURE Study Area. The public is encouraged to attend one of these hearings to provide input in person.

08.27.15

Attend a Public Webinar on Sept. 17

The FRA has released the Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Report that provides the complete definition and description of the No Action and Action Alternatives that will be presented in the Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement later this year.

The Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Report explains the process used to develop and refine the alternatives being analyzed in the Tier 1 Draft EIS. The process included analysis of travel markets, conceptual service plans, ridership modeling, and cost estimating, as well as extensive input from the agency and railroad stakeholders and the public.

Along with the release of the document, the FRA will be holding a public webinar on September 17, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. EDT to present an overview of the material in the Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Report and provide an opportunity for questions. More details on the webinar are available on the Public Meetings page of this website.

05.01.15

FRA Defines “No Action Alternative” for NEC FUTURE

The FRA has completed the development of the No Action Alternative for the NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, as described in the No Action Alternative Report. The FRA will use the No Action Alternative as a baseline for comparing the effects of each of the three Action Alternatives.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that the lead federal agency define a No Action Alternative or the conditions that will exist in an analysis year if a proposed action is not implemented. For the Tier 1 EIS, the FRA has defined the No Action Alternative as the condition of the Northeast region’s multi-modal transportation system in 2040.

For this Tier 1 EIS, the No Action Alternative is not a “do nothing” alternative. Instead, it assumes that sufficient capital investment is available to keep the NEC’s systems and infrastructure functioning properly to support existing service levels. Transportation projects included in the No Action Alternative generally fall into one of the following three categories: 1) funded projects or projects with approved funding plans (e.g., federal or state committed funding); 2) funded or unfunded mandates; and 3) unfunded projects necessary to keep the railroad running. The No Action Alternative represents a “snapshot in time” based on current information.

Beyond specific named projects, the No Action Alternative assumes that individual railroad operators will continue maintaining the NEC through their annual capital investment programs. It also assumes some additional level of investment, beyond currently expected funding levels, as required for normal replacement of track, signals, communications, structures, and electrical infrastructure, as well as funded fleet replacement or expansion programs. This includes some—but only a modest proportion—of the significant backlog of work associated with bringing the NEC to a state of good repair.