The Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility has officially been renamed,The Northeast Alliance for Rail (NEAR). The new name more clearly describes the work that the coalition does - it is no longer just a business alliance, as many civic and planning groups are active members, and our advocacy work is now more focused on passenger rail investments in the Northeast Megaregion, as opposed to broader mobility. The Northeast Alliance's new acronym, "NEAR," speaks to the proximity created by investments in passenger rail that reduce trip times between major urban hubs, and the hope that these investments will be made in the near-term.

The conversation about improving rail infrastructure today is not limited to tracks and trains alone. Modern advocacy and planning efforts increasingly rely on digital innovation and intelligent data analysis to shape smarter transportation systems. Platforms powered by artificial intelligence, such as crushon ai, demonstrate how advanced technologies can help organizations process information, engage audiences, and support strategic decision-making. In the same way, AI-driven tools can assist groups like NEAR in analyzing travel trends, communicating more effectively with stakeholders, and building stronger public support for critical rail investments.

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The Senate (barely) passed the Sandy Relief Bill on Monday, Jan 28 on a 62-36 vote (60 votes were needed) and President Obama signed it into law later that day. So, after more than three long months of negotiations, relief for the victims of Hurricane Sandy is finally on the way.

Relief funding in the bill totals $50.66 billion, which includes a total of $13 billion for transportation programs - $2 billion for FHWA and $10.9 billion for FTA. Of that amount, $5.4 billion will be available for grants to projects that strengthen transit infrastructure to protect against future storms. Amtrak will be eligible to apply for a portion of these funds. Amtrak was appropriated $118 million - $86 million in capital funds and $32 million in operating funds - to cover repair expenses associated with Hurricane Sandy.

On Tuesday night, the House passed a $50.66 billion Hurricane Sandy Relief Package, which includes a total of $118 million for Amtrak - $86 million in capital funds and $32 million in operating funds to cover expenses associated with Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012. Amtrak requested $336 million in the previous legislative session and the Senate had included the full amount in their version of the bill, but Congress failed to pass a bill before the end of the last session, so they had to start over in the new session.

A total of $10.9 billion will also go to repairing the public transportation systems in the New York region, including the New York City Subway, Metro-North and Long Island Railroads, and NJ Transit. The bill's next hurdle is in the Senate, where lawmakers will conference with the House before sending a final bill for the President to sign.

Amtrak recently announced that the railroad broke their all-time annual ridership record for the ninth time in 10 years in fiscal year 2012, carrying 31.2 million passengers, surpassing the previous record, set last year, by one million trips. More people rode Amtrak trains in July 2012 than during any other month in the company's history. Since 2000, Amtrak ridership has grown by nearly 50%, as people seek out alternatives to highway traffic congestion, and hassles and delays at airports. However, these are not the only milestones that Amtrak has achieved of late.

Over the last nine years, Amtrak has broken their all-time annual ridership record eight times! Last year, Amtrak set the current ridership record of 30.2 million passengers. This year, they're on pace to set the bar even higher.

Through the first eleven months that have passed in the current fiscal year (October 2011 to August 2012) ridership nationwide is up 3.4 percent. "In each month of the current fiscal year," Amtrak wrote in a press release, "[we have] posted the highest ridership total ever for that particular month (i.e., the best October ever, the best November ever, etc.) with the final month of September also expected to be a new record." On top of that, Amtrak carried more passengers in July that any other single month in its history.

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service is helping lead this surge in ridership. Through July, ridership on the corridor spine is up 4.1 percent and revenue is up 5.4 percent. Northeast branch lines are also posting ridership increases: the New Haven-Springfield line is up 0.8 percent, the Empire line is up 2.8 percent, the Adirondack line is up 3.9 percent, and the Keystone line is up 5 percent.

The FRA has announced details of the public scoping meetings for the NEC FUTURE program. Nine meetings are scheduled between August 13 and 22, all at different locations in the eight states served by the Northeast Corridor and District of Columbia. The purpose of these meetings is to inform and involve the public in defining the scope of the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement and Service Development Plan study to be completed as part of this program.

Public engagement is a critical part of the NEC FUTURE process and your input will make a substantial impact on the final vision for future rail improvements in the Northeast. We strongly recommend you attend the meeting in your area to provide comments and explain to the FRA why NEC improvements are important to your community, business, or industry group, and our region as a whole. You should be prepared to describe what kind of rail service you'd like to see offered over the next 40 years (to where, at what travel time, frequency, price points, and with what service amenities). We are also planning on submitting an official letter to the FRA on behalf of the Business Alliance advocating for our highest priority objectives. So, if you are unable attend a meeting, please feel free to email me your thoughts on what we should advocate for in this letter.

Meeting dates, times, and locations listed after the jump.