The Amtrak Vermonter - My Scenic Journey from White River Junction to New York City.

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 95

  • @stevew007uk
    @stevew007uk ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I love your videos, a great mix of middle aged grumpiness and positivity, please keep making them, cheers for now

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cheers Steve, yep middle-aged grumpiness and positivity - I’ll take that 😂 Actually that’s a great description for my TH-cam banner, I might steal that sometime if you don’t mind. Plenty more stuff to come mate 😊👍

  • @steve-marsh
    @steve-marsh ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Fantastic video Mark, must say love that view out the back window as well! And I guess you passed Mystic CT on the way, the destination of my only Amtrak trip so far :) The food surprises me, quite shocking, and expect more from USA! And thanks for editing out the chat fro the very important girls behind you :D I had a similar experience on Amtrak but couldn't really change seats because of the unusual way the conductor marks your seat with a ticket - can't remember exactly why, but do they still do that? Ahhh arriving at Penn Station, not the best introduction to NYC eh!? :)

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yes they do still mark your seat and I’m not really sure why they do that either. Tell you what, if they had a little open-air balcony-type thing on the back, I’d be out there and wouldn’t need to sit down! The food, well I could have taken some on board but, for ‘research purposes’ I took the plunge 😂 and yeh it was a lot different to last time I was over there. All-in-all though, really enjoyed it. I’ll be back again at the end of the month - roomette next time! 😊👍

    • @dylan1845
      @dylan1845 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@LetsMakeaTrip back in January 2021, they opened up the fantastic looking Moynihan Train Hall as an extension to NY Penn Station, I highly recommend you check in out, because now all Amtrak trains departing nyc leave from there 😁 very pretty compared to the old Penn station concourse

    • @FredFlath
      @FredFlath ปีที่แล้ว +3

      If it isn't Steve the man himself, hello son, let's have a collaboration between you both through the Australian outback!

    • @RoadCone411
      @RoadCone411 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      No he didn’t pass through Mystic as he came down to New Haven from due north, more or less. Mystic is on the electrified NE corridor to the east of New Haven - interesting little town that one!

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Amtrak has diners with full traditional dining on the western overnight sleeper trains, but have flexible dining in the diners on the eastern overnight sleeper trains. For a considerable time now the eastern and western day regional trains have dinettes/cafes with mostly convenient store microwave food, not traditional diner food. Flexible dining is just an extension of the dinettes/cafes Amtrak instituted during the pandemic when Amtrak furloughed its diner staff. Unfortunately for Amtrak much of that staff found other jobs while furloughed and have not returned.

  • @jamessmith6402
    @jamessmith6402 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks Mark that was an excellent video 👍

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers James, glad you liked it 😊👍

  • @MattsPlanet
    @MattsPlanet ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great job and thanks for the shout out! A beautiful part of the country to wander through at 40mph!

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Matt, a pleasure. Definitely recommend the journey (if you’re not in a rush) 😊

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      That average time included numerous stops slowing the train down significantly considering the average speed... Usually when underway Amtrak tops out at 79 mph by the signals in most of America... Like every railroad there are speed restrictions to deal with too...

  • @simonwhitlock9189
    @simonwhitlock9189 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Another great video Mark, most enjoyable and I loved the views of the river. As always stay safe and I will be watching out for your next journey.Cheers.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cheers Simon, yep a seat on the left going south is upmost importance for the views! Plenty more content to come mate 😊👍

  • @untainted_snail819
    @untainted_snail819 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Crazy seeing my hometown viewed as a tourist attraction...

  • @harryjoe860
    @harryjoe860 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    WOW! White river! That’s right by where I live!

  • @garethdavies1000
    @garethdavies1000 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Another quality video Mark mate 😊 as always, Cheers for now 😉

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cheers Gareth, enjoyed this trip a lot and I’d definitely recommend it - some great scenery 👍

  • @FredFlath
    @FredFlath ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Nice to see you back at it Mark, I've been looking forward to another upload, hope you're well mate.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Lukas, I’m fine thanks mate, hope you are too. I had this ready to publish on Tuesday so I thought I might as well put it out tonight rather than tomorrow as usual. Besides, I’ve got a 9 and-a-half hour Flixbus trip in the morning!!

  • @djburland
    @djburland ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I took Amtrak NY to LA, 5 days in all. It was fantastic! Thanks for your video

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว

      Pleasure mate and I bet that trip was awesome. I did the Lake Shore Limited up to Chicago then the Californian Zephyr all the way to Emeryville on the west coast way back in the late 90’s now. It was a similarly amazing experience!

    • @chrisdobrowolski2783
      @chrisdobrowolski2783 ปีที่แล้ว

      Which 2 trains at least did you take?. There are few ways of doing it, you could of took a train from New York to Chicago than hop on the Texas Eagle or Southwest cheif to LA or you could take the crescent to New Orleans and then the Sunset Limited to LA, the most expensive and longest way but 2 of the trains if in sleeper have traditional dinning which is take a train to Chicago then hop on the Zephry to Emerville and then take Coast Starlight to LA

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@LetsMakeaTrip If you have the time and the financial resources, I split my long distance Amtrak journeys with a layover somewhere on the routes. I keep telling myself over and over I wish I could spend a day here or there, well split book your journeys and do spend a day here and there. Any city or small town will suffice. Back during the 1960s there used to be a British television personality who did stop at small stations on the British Railway network, sometimes for hours, and sometimes overnight... Stop to smell the roses...

  • @shanewittkop4735
    @shanewittkop4735 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video! I'm considering taking a trip on the Vermonter beginning of March

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Shane, yep loved filming this video as the scenery was so nice. It won’t win the ‘most watched content of the year’ award but sometimes, it’s more my own personal enjoyment of the trip that counts and that’s why I’d definitely recommend it 😊👍

  • @davidoliver1169
    @davidoliver1169 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Mark your videos are really quite addictive and great fun. Cheers

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers David, appreciate you taking the time to comment and the kind words. All the best, Mark 😊👍

    • @awaytoanywhere699
      @awaytoanywhere699 ปีที่แล้ว

      Indeed they are!

  • @JoJo-yt1ys
    @JoJo-yt1ys ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Fantastic video Mark. Its crazy how those English girls gravitated towards you haha. Cheers.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Haha, well it’s obviously my sparkling witty persona, they just can’t help themselves 😂 cheers mate 😊

  • @sheilam4525
    @sheilam4525 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video! Some wonderful scenery! Really enjoy your content, very professional!👏😊

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks Sheila, appreciate the kind words and yes, it was a lovely trip 😊

  • @hi-tech55
    @hi-tech55 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good video Mark. I’m off to Boston later in the year , so I was quite interested in the scenery. I wasn’t disappointed. TY

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cheers Jerry! Enjoy Boston, I did 😊👍

    • @hi-tech55
      @hi-tech55 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@LetsMakeaTrip Thank you

  • @davidjewood
    @davidjewood ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This trip is on my bucket list. Who doesnt love Penn Station, nice and easy to Jamaica for JFK ✈

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Oh yep, easy trip out via the sky train or whatever they’re calling it. I kind of enjoyed New York a bit more this time but prefer the quiet of the country most of the time tbh 😊

  • @roberttassinari6080
    @roberttassinari6080 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Enjoyable video. By the way your pronouncement of hoyloke was perfect.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Robert, thanks for the comment. Glad I got the pronunciation right 😊👍

  • @Timstravels01
    @Timstravels01 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Beautifully filmed. An epic journey for sure. I travelled on the Acela from Boston-New York Penn in 2017. It was decent enough and the food was ok. The return was on the “slow train.” I found the return to be a far more pleasant experience. It seems older trains = more comfort.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers mate, yep I just wish they’d retained some of the other ‘old-style quality’. Like the food!

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@LetsMakeaTrip Unfortunately Amtrak learned from a former Delta airlines CEO how to use airline pre prepared food to save significantly. His tenure as Amtrak's president was the closest Amtrak ever got to breaking even... Instead of hiring chefs, dish washers, and waiters, just hire waiters and microwave frozen food already prepared by a factory. At least two jobs cut from a train's payroll, if not three...

  • @gazza2933
    @gazza2933 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Crikey Mark!
    When you go for a day out, you don't do things by halves. 😁
    Incredible stuff! 👍

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Well, I just happened to be in this diner and then this train went past and, well, one thing led to another 😂 Seriously, cheers mate thanks very much for your support - appreciated 😊

    • @gazza2933
      @gazza2933 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@LetsMakeaTrip
      When I get on a train, I usually end up at Skegness. 😁👍

  • @derisleybrittain
    @derisleybrittain ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent 🍾🍾🍾🍾🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Derisley 😊😊😊😊🚄🚄🚄🚄🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

  • @Danny-mv9qj
    @Danny-mv9qj ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hey Mark, we met in Subway Birmingham International about 15 minutes ago haha. Love the content, can't wait for the next video!

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hi Dan, yep, good to meet you mate 😊 I hope you enjoy the upcoming stuff, plenty more bus/coach videos to come. Good luck with your travels 😊👍

    • @Danny-mv9qj
      @Danny-mv9qj ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@LetsMakeaTrip Thank you very much! I will definitely be looking forward to your future vids!

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Danny-mv9qj pleasure mate 😊

  • @luisstransport
    @luisstransport ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great trip report

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Luis! Thanks, as always, for your support 😊

  • @richardturnbull6333
    @richardturnbull6333 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi Marc...Great video once again..... hey.... your getting further and further away...... Will we eventually see you on a Space Rocket to Mars.... economy class 😆 🤣 😂..... you stay safe my friend.... and hey....yr doing them videos brilliant 👏 👌... Richard in Newcastle

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Haha, I’m in a London Travelodge tonight if that’s about as far away from Mars as you want to get (I bet Trek Trendy will do it though one day - wish I had his money!). Early start in the morning - Edinburgh bound 👍

  • @keithwatkins7908
    @keithwatkins7908 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Beautiful scenery through Vermont and Connecticut, lucky you. I am a country boy, so no interest in big city's like New York. Was not jealous of your meal on the train though!

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I’m the same Keith, give me the country over the city any day you like! Shame about the meals these days, maybe I need to do the coast to coast again. It’s been a while!

  • @mazzab1970
    @mazzab1970 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hi. I'm a lurker on this channel and I like to watch your journeys as I fall asleep. Very ASMR. You sound as if you have a Coventry accent, Is that right?

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hello lurker! Why aren’t you subbed 😂 it’s not a Coventry accent, it’s Shropshire so you weren’t far off tbf. Glad you enjoy the videos 😊

    • @mazzab1970
      @mazzab1970 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@LetsMakeaTrip I have rectified that oversight now. :D Leamington Spa is a nice town to travel from - or through - in your case. There used to be a train that went (I think) from Edinburgh to Bournemouth that came through here. I don't think it exists any more though,

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@mazzab1970 thank you mazza 😊probably a CrossCountry train that one. Might still exist as they do tend to head that way 👍

  • @baseballfan99
    @baseballfan99 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great vid and loved the scenery. Vermont is not a State I have visited before having done a driving tour of New Hampshire and Maine and then taking the train to DC back in 2014. I have looked at this train before as well as the Ethan Allen Express but tricky to travel anywhere without a car but the scenery looks worth it even for an overnighter. The only small Station I have boarded a train at is Glenwood Springs Colorado following in the footsteps of my travel hero Michael Palin, they do all have a certain charm. As for the cafe food I agree it’s very poor. In coach on long distance trains it’s the cafe or nothing so I have made my own plans for my trips. There are rumours that The Coast Starlight is allowing Coach Passengers back into the diner for set price meals and this maybe extended to other West Coast Trains. I don’t feel I am missing anything on Flex (reheated) dining on the East Coast Services. Look forward to your next vid.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hi mate, yep Glenwood Springs - I remember it well from my last trip on Amtrak over 20 years ago! That was an amazing adventure though I couldn’t afford a sleeper back then and they’re not particularly cheap now either. Having said that, I have managed to get a roomette on the Silver Star in a few weeks for a decent price. Not expecting much from the cafe there either but it is what it is I guess and Amtrak don’t seem that bothered about it.

    • @perrybelcourt5441
      @perrybelcourt5441 ปีที่แล้ว

      Vermont is one of the cleanest safest best states in America alot of guns no problem because Sanders pushed community health care centers all over Vermont and community clubs have Canadian flags and alot of Canadian foods and liquors and crafts beers from around the world

  • @enricomonti156
    @enricomonti156 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video Mark. Indeed Amtrak is on my bucket list through some of the landscapes which can be found in different itineraries. Yet train travel is still far behind other mass transportation modes in the United States, unlike in Europe where certain segments of trsin travel are seeing a rebirth

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Freight is king on the US railroad Enrico as I’m sure you know. It’s still an iconic means of transport though (for me) and I’ve booked another one on the Silver Star in a few weeks. Same food I would guess but a proper roomette this time 😊👍

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Unfortunately Congress has read the reports revealing that less than TWO percent of Americans have rode long distance and regional trains, not commuter trains, while over EIGHTY percent have flown, and ONE HUNDRED percent use the highways one way or another, if only to roll a wheel chair across the highway. Numbers don't lie... There IS a reason why the US Government itself chose to FLY the mail long distances more than a half century ago when the USPS terminated the railroads mail contracts. No longer do passenger trains in America have a dozen or more mail cars on their consists. No wonder why quickly thereafter the railroad running America's busiest route on the northeast corridor went bankrupt. The main reason why Congress created Amtrak... At that time no mail, no passenger train, well, not without government subsidies... America is not a TINY nation one can drive across in a single day like France or Germany. Long before there was a UPS or FedEx the USPS chose to FLY the mail long distances. HOURS versus DAYS...

  • @PeterKKraus
    @PeterKKraus 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    (Rail America) (NECR) New England Central Railroad and. (CSOR) Connecticut Southern Railroad locomotives. CSOR owns and operates both. They bought the red ,white and blue one when NECR went away. It's a freight railroad that parks in the CSX yard in West Springfield and Hartford also.

  • @RoadCone411
    @RoadCone411 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    17:29 That’s my hometown! I’m actually heading to that station on a train now as I watch this video! Glad you had a good trip, Amtrak really needs to improve their food and catering choices on some of these longer NE Regional services..$10 for nuked macaroni and a can of Coke isn’t very good.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Amazing! Isn’t it a small world when this kind of thing happens 😊 I did enjoy it, great scenery, staff were great too. Food well, yep, you know the score. Things I’ll do for the purposes of content creation 😂 cheers onion 😊👍

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Amtrak hasn't served diner food on the regional services for decades. I do wish Amtrak quickly reinstates the traditional dining on their east coast overnight sleeper trains. But alas, you revealed why Amtrak doesn't have diners on regional day trains... While everyone wants to dine on traditional diner food, no one riding in coach wants to PAY for it at these prices.

  • @ronclark9724
    @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    While Amtrak's and Via's rolling stock maybe considerably older than Western European rolling stock overall, the North American stainless steel cars are in remarkably good condition considering their age. It is a good thing stainless steel doesn't rust, as most northern American and Canadian automobiles are rust buckets after fifty hard winters with salt being laid on the roads...

  • @ats90mph
    @ats90mph ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The two locomotives @1:10 are as follows:
    New England Central 3040 (Rail America red, white and blue), is a Canadian Built EMD GP40-2LW. Built with a “wide cab” for Canadian National Railway in 1974.
    Buffalo and Pittsburgh 3511 (orange Genesee and Wyoming colors), is an EMD GP38-2, built for the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1972

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Many thanks for the detail Ross - very informative, cheers 😊

  • @third7715
    @third7715 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I think for some reason UK bus journeys are your niche, just checked your channel and despite this being an awesome trip, grim long distance UK coach trips seem to be what the people want lol

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yes, totally agree. It’s kind of weird that because I can take and film some really fantastic trips: this one, the Douro Valley, Mexican coach journeys, flying around the Orkneys etc etc and it’s really really hard for them to gain any traction. Whereas the coach/bus journeys are doing really well. Many more of the latter to come and yep, that is the niche 👍

    • @awaytoanywhere699
      @awaytoanywhere699 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Here’s my thoughts on this. Perhaps it is due to ‘what comes in mind’ when travellers want to explore a certain area/city etc. I mean, a few bus travels between cities could be categorized as ‘Tier 1’ travel - easy to manage, book, fairly cheap etc. Where as the e.g. Portsmouth-Santander ferry, I would call a ‘Tier 2 or 3 travel’ due to cost, familiarity about ferry travel, perhaps more remote harbour locations to access the ferry.
      Anyway, great channel! cheers from Mike from Denmark.

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Give us a break. There are no long distance bus routes on the isle of Great Britain unless it also involves a ferry to the European continent mainland. One can drive across the UK in a single day, or ride a bus from Aberdeen to London in a single day, never mind Liverpool to Hull. There are TH-cam videos revealing bus journeys across America coast to coast that lasted 60 hours at best, many usually longer... Even some top one hundred hours for a bus coast to coast across America...

    • @shanewaterman4125
      @shanewaterman4125 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@LetsMakeaTrip Hi Mark, picking up on your remark about what gets views (bus and coach journeys) have you seen the viewing figures for some of the car journeys taken from a dash cam pov (but with a decent camera) just following even a country lane? Stumbled on one filmed along a lane in the Cotswolds that was very badly filmed, less than five mins long and no commentary or music, just the sound of the car .... and over a million views in five years (4k a week!) Makes you wonder mate....

  • @PeterKKraus
    @PeterKKraus 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Why did you skip the backing into Springfield station part?

  • @413TomaccoRoad
    @413TomaccoRoad 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    As I watch this, the # 118 Amtrak engine is sitting overnight in Springfield MA to depart as a Hartford line train, 2 cars, and goes to New Haven.

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I really enjoyed this trip. Hopefully visit the region again sometime 👍

  • @monseigneurLambik
    @monseigneurLambik ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Bedankt

  • @Urnieburns70
    @Urnieburns70 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The two locos were a GP40-2WL and a GP38-2

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cheers Matthew, I was hoping someone would provide the info 😊👍

  • @calebhammond9665
    @calebhammond9665 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The trains that's where outside are called the NECR

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว

      Cheers Caleb, thanks for the info.

  • @MH-fb5kr
    @MH-fb5kr ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amtrak usually has a quiet car

  • @Soldiercivilwaryt
    @Soldiercivilwaryt ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It feels so wierd to hear you say dollars im so used to watching your trips in the uk more than your trips in the us

  • @thebigquestionpodcast4958
    @thebigquestionpodcast4958 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    American trains seem so far behind of what they use to be now it so dull 😢😢

    • @LetsMakeaTrip
      @LetsMakeaTrip  ปีที่แล้ว

      Changed a bit since I took the Californian Zephyr back in the early 2000’s. Still a must-do train though 👍

    • @ronclark9724
      @ronclark9724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      While Amtrak's average speed won't increase much, all of the Superliners and Amfleet II cars in the fleet are being refurbished, while the Amfleet I, Horizon, and Talgo cars in the fleet are being replaced with new Siemens cars similar to the ones introduced in California and the Midwest/Chicago. Most of the Superliner and Amfleet II cars have reached 50 years in age... Almost all of Amtrak's track improvements underway involves the northeast corridor's bridges and tunnels that are owned by the federal government...