Discussion on:

Amtrak rolls into the Information Age

Interesting schedule on the high speed rail on the NEC. The NEC does not go through Hartford, although high speed rail is expected to. Don't they really mean New Haven and not Hartford?

No, Hartford is correct. The current line north of New Haven simply has too many curves and other characteristics that make it unsuitable for true HSR. So Amtrak's plan is to build a completely new right of way that runs through Hartford. South of NYC the existing right of way will be utilized. They won't abandon the current RoW north of NYC, but it just won't support trains that are as fast. You can check out the full plan on Amtrak.com (scroll down to the bottom and then choose 'About Amtrak').

According to Amtrak's published study the HSR between New York and Boston will not follow the current twisty-turny alignment where speeds above 90mph is not possible. It will be on a totally new alignment which will run inland and will most likely not touch New Haven. However, we are not anywhere near a point where any final alignment determination can be made.