Here are 10 Shovel Ready Projects Obama Can Use to Boost Jobs (that aren't already funded/in progress)
10) Florida East Coast Corridor
This would only take a few hundred million dollars to make operational for passenger rail, and would connect urban centers like Miami and Jacksonville to the Treasure Coast, the Space Coast, Daytona and Palm Beach. Most of the preliminary work has already been done and the State of Florida is seeking funds to make this project a reality.
9) The Pioneer Route
A study completed in 2009 suggests that re-establishing this old Amtrak route, defunct since 1997, is indeed feasible. Running from Denver to Seattle, it would connect underserved communities in Wyoming and western Oregon as well as the Boise, Idaho area.
8) The Lackawanna Cut-Off
As I already wrote, this is a perfectly engineered high speed rail line that only needs a few hundred million dollars worth of work to make operational again.
7) East Side Connector
This would be a new subway under the Hudson River to extend the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station, taking pressure off Grand Central Terminal and providing commuters from the east one-seat rides to midtown Manhattan.
6) The Sunset Route
Truncated to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina left a swath of devastation in it's wake, the Sunset Route could easily be restored between New Orleans and Jacksonville or Orlando. The stations are already built and Amtrak is interested in seeing service restored as it would close a major east-west gap in their service.
5) The Northern Flyer
An extension of the Hearland Flyer, a train from Fort Worth, TX to Oklahoma City, OK that would bring the train to Newton, Kansas or Kansas City, MO to connect with other services east and west.
4) Unifying the Boston Transit System
Boston is the only city I know of that has two different commuter rail systems, one from the north and one to the south. As of right now there is no direct connection between the two systems. In fact, the terminus for high speed rail in New England is Boston and until such a connection is built, no lines northward and procede through the Boston metro area. It would also allow Amtrak to offer a 1-seat ride from Washington, DC to Portland, Maine.
3) Iowa Passenger Trains
This would be two trains, one from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa through Rockford, Illinois and one to Des Moines through the Quad Cities area. Iowa and Illinois have been on board with these trains for a couple of years now, they are just waiting for Amtrak and the government to push the button.
2) Light Rail
Many metropolitan areas have ambitious plans for constructing or expanding their light rail systems but lack the local and state funds to make it happen. Houston, Dallas, Seattle, St. Louis, Kansas City, the Tampa Bay area, northern New Jersey, Minneapolis, Denver and Detroit would all benefit for more federal funds for light rail.
1) Baltimore Tunnel Project, The Hudson River Tunnels, the Hells Gate and the Portal Bridge
The biggest bottlenecks on the high-speed Northeast Corridor should be opened up to reduce delays and allow trains to run closer to their optimal speeds. These long-planned projects would cost billions and there is little will in statehouses to spend that kind of money in the middle of a recession. Obama's stimulus could help make the Acela Express a truly high-speed rail line.
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