What are the new england states being asked to work together on?
Transportation is one of those matters. During the time I was secretary of transportation in Massachusetts, I met face to face with my New England state counterparts exactly once, at a meeting in New Hampshire where we talked about the importance of working together on regional transportation projects. And, then, we all went home. Recent news reports that New England is behind California and the Midwest in competing for the $8 billion in new federal high-speed rail funds should be a wake-up call. The Northeast Corridor from Connecticut to Maine, as well as improved train service connecting New Haven, Hartford, Springfield and maybe Vermont, are all viable candidates for funding, if our states work together on a common rail agenda. Why should these rail investments matter? They matter because New England is a collection of interdependent metropolitan areas that would gain prosperity if passenger travel and goods movement by rail were made easier and more efficient. Just look at what rai
