BOSTON

THE FIRST THING to understand is that it’s not about nostalgia, or the good old days, or a return to simpler times.

The “it” we mean is the railroad system in New England, long neglected and underused, which nevertheless now presents, here in the early years of the 21st Century, a beacon of light and hope for our region’s future.

And while there are many attractive elements to rail travel, including that it can be far less stressful than commuting by car or air, the main benefit is that it is far more efficient than other travel modes, while having a far less damaging impact on the environment than a swath of concrete filled with stall-and-crawl traffic. Engineers have long known that one rail track can carry the capacity of a four-lane highway, or greater, in a fraction of the space.

The second thing to understand is that in New England we are this season also presented with a great potential gift, a non-ideological elected leadership representing both political parties that at last “gets it” about transportation and the economy:

Massachusetts has a progressive new governor, Deval Patrick, and lieutenant governor, Tim Murray, both of whom have repeatedly articulated the need for our region to modernize and integrate its transportation system.

Connecticut re-elected Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who signed Executive Order 15, fittingly at the Windsor railroad station, “Connecticut Green and Growing.” CG&G adopts the language and spirit of former Maryland Gov. Paris Glendening’s landmark Smart Growth Initiative and former New Jersey Gov. Christy Todd Whitman’s own version of that.

In Maine, Gov. John Baldacci, who is absolutely demanding better commuter-rail service and an improvement in freight rail to get trucks off the highways, was re-elected;

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, with control of the state legislature in his party’s hands for the first time in years, is moving to bring that state’s highway-centered transportation department into the 21st Century.

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri, re-elected, is pushing for improved commuter-rail service to the state’s critical Green Airport at Warwick, to South County, and more.

In Vermont, Gov. Jim Douglas, re-elected, also a long time advocate of improved rail service, has already secured significant intercity and commuter-rail improvement and is energetically involved in more, as well as in supporting freight-rail projects.

There are three Republicans (Rell, Carcieri, and Douglas) and three Democrats (Patrick, Lynch, Baldacci); not one is seen as an ideologue or an extreme advocate for their parties, but all have been outspoken in their determination to get New England’s economy to a healthy state.

And then don’t forget New York, where upstate has been languishing economically in part because of deteriorating transportation infrastructure, and whose new governor, Eliot Spitzer, is seen as an ally to regional development proposals.

In short, for the first time in memory, every New England state and New York have elected leadership from both political parties that is fully attuned to the basic economic challenge we face — poor infrastructure — and wants to address it.

The catch: While the governors from time to time get together, we need to do more, and create a permanent regional forum to identify, prioritize, plan, and build large infrastructure projects, particularly the creation of a modern world-class rail system for both freight and passengers. We must combine the best talent found in the rail industry with public policy decision makers who can take the long view, and who can create new ways to fund and build and maintain the really big projects we must build in New England: High-speed passenger-rail and high-capacity freight service on the Boston-Springfield-Albany, Brattleboro-Springfield-Hartford-New York, Boston-Montreal routes to strengthen our ability to trade with Canada, by far America’s most important trading partner.

To do that will take will, and money, and leadership. For the first time in years, Congress has New Englanders in leadership positions. And looking around New England, for the first time in memory, the elected leadership is there, in all the states. Will the governors rise to the occasion? Let’s ask them to, and make the most of it.

Jim RePass is president and chief executive of the National Corridors Initiative, an infrastructure advocacy organization ( jprepass@nationalcorridors.org).