The I-95 Corridor Coalition is supporting a continuing series of initiatives to identify ground transportation bottlenecks and assess solutions along the corridor from Maine to Florida. This includes the Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations Study (MAROps) -- an initiative of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, five Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) and three railroads (Amtrak, CSX, and Norfolk Southern) "to understand the impact of rail choke points on rail freight transportation and the economy of the region."

The economic impact study examined a proposed series of infrastructure projects that would enhance rail freight capacity and potentially shift truck/rail mix to reduce highway congestion. The study assessed economic benefits "for the MAROPS region as a whole and individually for the five states, three major metropolitan areas, and the major rail corridors."  Cambridge Systematics conducted the study to examine traveler benefits, shipper benefits, and regional economic benefits. They used TREDIS - the Transportation Economic Development Impact System, to estimate the magnitude of economic development benefits, in terms of jobs and income.

TREDIS was used to assess the economic growth implications of projects affecting both (1) changes in relative travel times and costs for freight trucks and freight trains, and (2) changes in local/regional market access and connectivity to intermodal terminals and international gateways. The analysis showed substantial impacts on economic development. The final report was released on the I-95 Corridor Coalition web site.

Read the I-95 Corridor MAROPS II Final Report
(for TREDIS discussion and results, see Chapters 3, 5, 7 and 8)