1.) Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project Has Not Achieved Trip-Time Goal

Amtrak has not met the goal of 3-hour rail service between Boston and New  York City, although it has reduced the scheduled trip time from about 4  hours in 1994 to 3 hours 24 minutes in 2003. To do this, it completed the  first milestone in FRA’s 1994 master plan—initiate electrified train service  between Boston and New York City—in January 2000, and it acquired  enough high-speed trains to begin limited high-speed rail service in  December 2000. In total, as of March 2003, Amtrak, commuter rail  authorities, and other stakeholders had completed 21 of the project’s 72  work elements—51 were either incomplete or their status was unknown. As of March 2003, Amtrak, commuter railroads, and other  stakeholders had spent about $3.2 billion on the project. Under the master plan, Amtrak, commuter railroads, and state departments  of transportation shared responsibility for implementing the work  elements. Furthermore, Amtrak said that to  achieve a reliable 3-hour schedule it was not depending on improvements  to the non-Amtrak-owned sections of track (such as those owned by  commuter rail authorities) that FRA had identified as essential to achieve  the 3-hour trip-time goal. 2.) Amtrak Did Not Exercise Effective Management of the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project

Amtrak could have exercised more effective management of the Northeast  High-Speed Rail Improvement Project had its management of the project  been more comprehensive and had it focused greater attention on critical  infrastructure issues needed to attain the 3-hour trip-time goal. Financial Management of the Project Was Also Not Comprehensive and Was Largely Focused on the Short Term

Amtrak’s financial management of the project was also not comprehensive,  and it also focused primarily on the short term. Yet other commuter rail and state officials believed that Amtrak did not  fully integrate their interests into the project’s goals. Best Practices Framework Would Support Effective Management of Large- Scale Intercity Passenger Rail Infrastructure Projects

Through our work on the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project  and our analyses of reports and guidance published by our office, the  Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FTA, and FHWA, we have  identified key components of a best practices framework for effectively  managing large infrastructure projects, including future intercity passenger  rail projects. Some large-scale infrastructure projects  are already funded in phases. In our view, these  projects would benefit from a project management framework that is  rooted in best practices, including comprehensive planning and financial  management, risk assessment and mitigation, clear accountability and  oversight, and incorporation of diverse stakeholders’ interests. Specify the Federal Railroad Administration’s responsibilities for the  oversight of federal expenditures on major intercity passenger rail  infrastructure projects and permit as necessary, to oversee such  projects, the establishment and implementation of a project  management oversight-like program at the Federal Railroad  Administration similar to that authorized by the Surface Transportation  and Uniform Relocation Act of 1987. 3. These efforts culminated in the  1992 Amtrak Authorization and Development Act.
Why GAO Did This Study

In the 1990s, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) undertook the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project to make infrastructure improvements that would enable Amtrak to meet a statutory goal of providing 3-hour intercity passenger rail service between Boston and New York City. Amtrak shared responsibility for implementing the project with commuter rail authorities and state governments, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) developed a master plan for the project and provided federal funds to Amtrak. GAO reviewed (1) the status of the project, (2) Amtrak's management of the project, (3) FRA's oversight of the project, and (4) best practices for managing future large-scale rail infrastructure projects.

What GAO Found

Amtrak has not yet met the 3-hour trip-time goal established by the 1992 Amtrak Authorization and Development Act although electrified service between Boston and New York City was initiated in January 2000 and Amtrak began limited high-speed rail service in December 2000. Currently, this trip is scheduled to take 3 hours 24 minutes. Furthermore, 51 of 72 work elements that FRA identified in its 1994 master plan as necessary to reduce trip times (e.g., electrify tracks and acquire high-speed trains), enhance capacity (e.g., construct sidings), rebuild or extend the life of physical assets (e.g., replace bridges), or make other improvements are incomplete or their status is unknown. Fifteen of these work elements are on non-Amtrak owned sections of track and are important for achieving and maintaining 3- hour service as rail traffic increases over time. Through March 2003, Amtrak and others had spent about $3.2 billion on the project. Neither Amtrak nor FRA exercised effective management or oversight of the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project. Amtrak's management was not comprehensive, and it was focused primarily on the short term. Amtrak focused on managing the electrification and acquisition of new high-speed trains, and did not sufficiently address major infrastructure improvements needed to attain the trip-time goal. In addition, Amtrak did not fully integrate the interests of stakeholders (commuter rail authorities and state governments) into the project, even though work that involved them was critical to achieving 3-hour service. FRA served as a conduit for federal appropriations to the project but did not have the resources or the authority to oversee Amtrak's management of the project. Best practices--including comprehensive planning, risk assessment and mitigation, comprehensive financial management, accountability and oversight, and incorporation of diverse stakeholders' interests--provide a framework for effectively managing future large-scale intercity passenger rail infrastructure projects. These best practices have proved effective in managing large-scale infrastructure projects and could assist in managing future projects like the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project.