The Atlantic Coastal Corridor (ACC)
Rail in the East, Running the Coast
The Atlantic Coastal Corridor runs North-South, connecting the northern reaches of the United States and Canada to the Southern tip of Florida. The route allows for several intersections for the proposed East-West Transcontinental routes, at geospatially and demographically significant locations. While the Atlantic Coast does not presently have the greatest quantity of goods being transported by its ports system, like the PCC, the ACC aims to facilitate freight hauling while providing Ultra High Speed Rail connections between the bustling city centers of the East Coast.
Quebec City, Canada, Quebec
Quebec's Capital City
Located at the proposed international terminus of the ACC, Quebec City serves as the central Eastern connection to American rail from the North. Quebec is proposed as one part of the Canadian Transcontinental, which aims to facilitate movement across the habitable reaches of Canada to connection points on the American rail system.
Quebec City, with a population of approximately 542,000 as of 2017, is small relatively to the nearby Ottawa, but is geographically and culturally significant to Quebec and Canada as a whole.
Portland, Maine
An Unlimited Supply of Maple Syrup
Really, the entire point of connecting Maine to the transportation grid is for improved access to maple syrup.
Boston, Massachusetts
The Big Dig x4
A station would be placed in Boston. In order to get into Boston, you need tunnels; In order to get out of Boston, you need tunnels.
The plan for Boston on its Northward alignment is to enter from the West along I-90 before cutting over to Memorial Drive along the West/North side of the river. The aim would be to incorporate the undergrounding of the Parkway traffic alongside (or over top of) both local rail/tram transit and the through traffic of the ACC.
The Boston Station Site is intended to take over the Boston Government Service Center, which is being assessed for redevelopment. The building is beautiful in a brutalist kind of way and offers great potential to bring to life. The site is perfectly on line with the proposed entry into Downtown Boston from the West, and allows for local transit to extend on line to the International airport to the East.
Providence, Rhode Island
A Stately Station for the Nation's Smallest State
Providence is small but mighty. Maybe it wouldn't draw traffic like New York City, nor would it need a station to suit that kind of throughput, but Providence is a city that could enjoy an out-out-city-center station or an in-city-center location with all the luxurious and modern amenities as anywhere else, especially if it were wrapped in stately white granite and represented the State in accordance with its propriety.
New Haven, Connecticut
A New Wharf and New Haven For New Haven
I was trying to figure out how in the world New Haven could make sense as a stop and attract virtually anybody at all. I eventually found the wharf area, which, as it turned out, had been looked at for improvement for the community. This seemed like a good idea, so i developed a rough idea of a master plan, making the wharf a community gathering spot with a unique commercial district overlooking the water, along with an opulent palace-style residential complex nearby, complete with statue and garden and plaza fountain.
The wharf and market would be centrally located, with an offset overground train terminal serving the area. This would allow for visitors and tourists to visit, either expressly for the wharf, or any other attraction in the area.
New York City, New York
Hudson River Tunnel Rail Project
This is another intricate connective piece of the transit puzzle. There is presently a plan for a Hudson River Tunnel, and also a plan for a Hudson Yards train depot project. Both projects overlap with the master plan i developed. There has been significant pushback on the Hudson Yards project, and the Tunnel project has been funded and greenlit.
The Hudson River Tunnel Project i have in mind may be able to coincide with the city's plan. The aim i had was to develop a train station at the Hudson Yards train depot just to the north at a higher elevation, develop the air rights for the train yard (in a similar fashion as the other proposed Hudson Yards plan, albeit with a different focus), and then run Maglev tracks through the city above ground, using the empty plots and proposed construction along the roadway strip as supports, integrating track into the cityscape in a once-in-a-lifetime development, setting the stage for the future of transit in dense urban environments.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Expanding the Gray Project at Speed
Presently, there is an active project for rehabilitating the Gray III Train Station just West of the river. This alignment is the generally preferred one, and with construction already planned, and expansion room to the South side of the station and roadway, additional station development or connective features could be established to accommodate the UHSR (Maglev) lines.
The upshot is that the William H. Gray III site on 30th should be expanded to accommodate MAGLEV, and tunnels should cross the river to permit a path for the proposed Atlantic Coastal Corridor (ACC).
The site is presently being renovated, begun in January of 2024 after being financially secured in 2021.
From Amtrak:
"This large scale redevelopment is the first significant phase of Amtrak’s ongoing efforts toward implementing the Gray 30th Street Station District Plan and includes nearly 500,000 square feet of renovation and modernization. As part of the project, PIP will be responsible for:
- Bringing the overall station into a state of good repair.
- Providing expanded retail offerings to meet the needs of travelers and the local community.
- Enhancing operational efficiency through reconfiguration and modernization of back-of-house facilities to accommodate projected increases in ridership.
- Significantly enhancing the quality of customer experience with an emphasis on convenience, usability and comfort.
- Rejuvenating the historic station as both a customer-oriented gateway and civic destination by celebrating and enhancing the facility’s unique and iconic Neoclassical and Art Deco design.
- Completing a renovation of the corporate office spaces in the upper levels of the station.
- Operations and maintenance of the existing building, beginning on September 1, 2021.
- Creating an expanded and modernized concessions experience, with high quality retail and food & beverage offerings for travelers and employees.
Construction on the renovation is expected to begin in 2022 and be complete in 2025."
Should alterations to this plan be untenable, a separate expansion to the site, or a separate facility nearby would satisfy requirements.
Baltimore, Maryland
Development Fit For The Lord
The separate section for the Baltimore City project gets into the details. Baltimore serves as a dedicated pair link to DC, and a connective intersection for the separately proposed Canadian-Atlantic Exchange, with lines running North-East and South from the diagonal international route.
The site plan incorporates Camden Yards, the Convention Center, the Inner Harbor, and provides some local connective features to tie the whole thing together.
Washington, District of Columbia
Welcome to the Nation's Capital
Like Baltimore, the details for Washington, DC can be found in the city project section.
DC serves as the intersection terminus of the Redline Transcontinental, entering the city from the south along the path of the ACC. This alignment allows for improved throughput for both lines, and allows for transfer to existing traditional rail lines and/or alternative station locations as part of this plan should that option be used.
The site plan offers a variety of solutions for a comprehensive transportation system tied into the existing local network.
Richmond, Virginia
An Old City With a New Plan
Richmond, while established in 1737, has only a slightly larger population than Amarillo, at around 221,000 people as of 2022. Richmond, while looking at transit options, has three, except one has been converted into a restaurant, one is being used for wedding receptions, and one is being looked at for solely light rail connections to small regional townships.
However, Richmond has a plan (Vision Richmond 2040), which provides the conceptual framework for redeveloping the urban center, and making it an attractive place to visit. By 2040. Generally fitting within this scheme provides the potential for establishing a connection prior to the city's planned growth. In many cases, small city growth can be oriented expressly around transit centers. This is accomplished by building on the verticsl, making use of air rights, buying suvstantive amounts of adjacent land for redevelopment into residential and mixed-use accommodations, and funding projects through the speculative selling of such properties. These initial outlays are offset by the eventual sales, and help to cover any potential operating losses during sny transitional period. There is also an incentive for the city to fund and permit such development, in furtherance of their vision.
In such an old city, new large scale urban redevelopment provides exciting opportunities to rethink the central urban landscape and incorporate modern infrastructure improvements under roadways and derelict buildings, providing for the kinds of connectivity that individuals and businesses are lookibg for in a modern city. The infrastructural scheme of the rail corridor system (facilitating high-quality power, fiberoptic communications, and water sourcing) makes such an integration a compelling proposition for a multitude of reasons.
As the city plan for 2040 is a fairly rough draft, there are a few potential site plans proposed for an urban transit hub.
While Richmond is at an approximately ideal distance for a MAGLEV connection
Raleigh, North Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Savannah, Georgia
Jacksonville, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Miami, Florida
