The Nation - News from Dec. 14, 1986

The sale of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line, which serves New York, Washington and Boston, is part of President Reagan’s draft budget for fiscal 1988, according to a published report. Included in the budget, which will be sent to Congress on Jan. 5, is a proposal to cut federal aid for urban mass transit systems to $1.6 billion from the current $3.4 billion, the New York Times reported. Quoting unnamed Administration officials, the newspaper said the proposed sale of the rail line, which carries about 10.5 million passengers annually in eight states, would cover all the railroad’s assets, including its Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, and stations in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Wilmington, Del.