An ode to the Northeast corridor, the rail line that keeps Amtrak alive

Bloomberg published a Q&A with David Alff about his new book “The Northeast Corridor,” which serves as an ode to the rail line that keeps Amtrak alive. “The Northeast Corridor” traces the history of passenger trains from Boston to DC and explains why the current service is so essential — and so frustrating. Alff employs a historical perspective to explain how trains became essential, if frustrating, fixtures of the bustling metropolises from the Mid-Atlantic to New England. He delves into the political decision-making and compromises that made the corridor what it now is and considers how transformative planned upgrades could be. The story notes that Alff “can also be a poetic chronicler of the sights, sounds and smells of the Northeast Corridor experience.”