09 09 IMPLEMENTATION: GOVERNANCE AND FINANCING Building high-speed rail will the Northeast will be a massive undertaking. A new governance structure, financing mechanism and sustained political leadership are necessary to build high-speed rail. The current Amtrak-dominated governance structure of the Northeast Corridor is not equipped to build the HSR line that is illustrated in this report. The new Northeast Corridor Commission (NECC) will be a federal-state partnership, charged with building and operating high-speed rail infrastructure. While the new highspeed rail line must be financed primarily with public funds, limited opportunities are available for the private sector to fund station construction and development, equipment, and train operations. Finally, strong, sustained leadership is necessary for this vision of high-speed rail to become a reality. Building HSR will be an expensive, long-term project.
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