Anthony Coscia has occupied a central role in the tri-state region’s transportation and infrastructure development for decades. He served as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for eight years, as chairman of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority from 1992 to 2003 and is now a trustee of the Gateway Development Corp. But perhaps his most visible role is chairman of Amtrak, a post he has held since 2010. And in that role, he and the passenger railroad have never had closer friends in higher places. The president of the United States is a devoted Amtrak rider. And the Senate majority leader represents the state just across the Hudson River. In the latest edition of NJBIZ Conversations, Editor Jeff Kanige spoke with Coscia about the prospects for Gateway under the Biden administration, what the new Acela fleet will mean for the railroad’s riders and the future of high-speed rail in the region and the country. “There is no question that there is a new map of the nation’s rail system that Amtrak is starting to draw,” he said. “A part of it involves the development of high-speed rail, which looks a lot and feels a lot, like the high-speed rail that people think of when they think of Europe and Asia and other places. But what is just as important is that we believe that our system will give us an ability to connect city pairs where today there is no rail service.” Watch the full interview here.