HARTFORD, Conn — The City of Hartford today announced that Mayor Luke Bronin will be serving as co-chair of the North Atlantic Rail initiative.
The initiative was founded in 2017 to develop a plan for a high-speed rail project connecting New York City to Boston in 100 minutes. The project would include lines that would also serve more than a dozen mid-sized New England cities, like Hartford.
Mayor Bronin is joining as a Co-Chair alongside Doug McGarrah, a Boston attorney and Chair of the Board of A Better City, a business organization focused on transportation, environment, and development issues impacting the City of Boston and the region.
“Connecting New York City, Boston, and mid-sized cities throughout New England with a modern, high-speed, high-frequency rail network is the single most transformative thing we can do for Connecticut and for our entire region,” said Mayor Bronin. “This is about jobs and opportunity, it's about equity and quality of life, and it's about taking bold action on climate change. We have a historic opportunity to make high-speed rail a reality, with New England’s congressional delegation leading key committees in Congress, a Transportation Secretary who understands the power and potential of mid-sized cities, and the most ardent rail advocate we’ve ever had in the Oval Office. We’ll be working to position North Atlantic Rail as a critical element of any national infrastructure program.”
“We welcome Mayor Bronin and his leadership on the North Atlantic Rail initiative,” said North Atlantic Rail Co-Chair Doug McGarrah. “His support will be critical to realizing the transformative potential of this project in the entire 7-state region, not only from a mobility enhancement perspective but also in terms of carbon reduction and economic justice. This is the moment to make a historic investment in our infrastructure – to benefit small towns, big cities, and everyone who lives in the region.”
President Biden has proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure investment nationwide, and the North Atlantic Rail initiative is working with leaders at the local, state, and federal level to advocate for this $105 billion proposal as part of that national infrastructure package.