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The good thing is that building one helps build the other. One of the best ways to manage transit projects to build small, forward-thinking improvements that can contribute to a larger, patchwork network.

For example, reopening the Lackawanna Cut would enable new high speed sections of track between NYC and Pennsylvania/WNY/Canada. Future rail projects could then build new high speed sections around Pennsylvania/NJ or Toronto that would then cut transit times on both the Lackawanna Cut and the Northeast Corridor and/or The Canadian Corridor. Bit by bit, with just a few billion dollars at a time (instead of trillion dollar megaprojects), the American East Coast could become a world leader in intercity rail, on par with Japan.

The trick is to just get started improving existing rail corridors. It's not flashy and won't get you a million votes, bit it's the most effective way to do it.