Amtrak Reveals Its Super-Speed Rail Vision

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Amtrak can be a source of frustration for passengers who have to deal with occasional delays and infrequent trains. But the company envisions a future where rail travel is one of the fastest and safest ways to travel in the northeast.

"It's time the northeast had a vision," declared Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman.

Amtrak's vision of European-style high speed rail would connect Boston to Washington, D.C. with trains that top out at 220 miles per hour, cutting the commute between the major cities in the region.

An Amtrak train today from New York to Philadelphia will cost between $47 and $117. And it will take about an hour and a half.

Boardman said high speed rail will cut that trip to 38 minutes, but it will not cut the cost at all.

"I think it's pretty cheap now for the service that we provide," said Boardman.

And as for when you will be able to hitch a high speed ride?

"I don't have a clue," laughed Boardman.

Amtrak said construction of a high speed rail system in the northeast will take about 25 years and cost $117 billion.

Dr. Vukon Vuchic, a University of Pennsylvania professor of city and regional planning, said the wait and the price are worth it.

"The time has come," said Vuchic. "We are way behind."

Vuchic said high speed rail has succeeded in Europe and will improve the entire transportation system here.

"People notice how useful it is and how it begins to cooperate with airports, because they have too many short flights, and high speed rail will replace those flights."

For now, high speed rail remains a vision that will need a commitment of time and money to become a reality.

Reported By: Oren Liebermann, CBS 3