At the White House on September 16, students and professors from Penn’s School of Design will present a plan for cutting-edge high-speed train service to the man who may be America’s most famous commuter – Vice President Joe Biden.

The PennDesign proposal to revamp the Northeast Corridor of the national rail system calls for trains operating at a minimum of 155 miles per hour on dedicated tracks. It would transport passengers from New York to Boston in one hour and 45 minutes, compared to Amtrak’s current master plan for high-speed rail that would make the same trip in three hours and eight minutes. Under the PennDesign plan, a trip from Philadelphia to Washington would take one hour. The plan would also help connect economically weaker cities to stronger cities, and increase job opportunities for individuals and companies throughout the corridor.

Dean of the School of Design, Marilyn Jordan Taylor; Practice Professor Bob Yaro, and 10 City and Regional Planning students will meet with Biden to present their design, which has already received national attention from lawmakers and transportation specialists. Biden is well known for his support of rail service. During his 36 years as a Senator, Biden commuted by train to Washington from his home in Wilmington, Delaware whenever the Senate was in session.

The students created the high-speed system in a course last spring under the guidance of Taylor, a world renowned expert in urban design and transportation and Yaro, who also is president of the Regional Plan Association, a research and policy group in the New York area.