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Obama Announces Regional Finalists For High-Speed Railway
4/16/2009 10:48 AM ET
(RTTNews) - President Barack Obama unveiled his plan for a high-speed railway system Thursday, naming regional finalists for the advanced transportation system. Obama noted that while Americans still like their cars, improved public transportation could allow the country to catch up with other nations, like Japan, who already use the technology.
"High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways," Obama said.
Making the announcement before he heads to Mexico as part of a four-day jaunt in Central and South America, Obama revealed that $8 billion of economic recovery funds will be dedicated to the plan, along with $1 billion a year for the next five years as a "down payment" on a future passenger-rail system. The first round of grants will be awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration by late summer 2009.
Obama, along with Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood, announced the finalists for the high-speed railway: California, Pacific Northwest, South Central, Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, Southeast, Keystone, Empire and Northern New England.
"Everyone knows railways are the best way to connect communities to each other, and as a daily rail commuter for over 35 years, this announcement is near and dear to my heart," Biden said. "Investing in a high-speed rail system will lower our dependence on foreign oil and the bill for a tank of gas; loosen the congestion suffocating our highways and skyways; and significantly reduce the damage we do to our planet."
Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston to compete for funds to improve the nation's only existing high-speed rail service, the White House said.
With the high-speed railway, a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles would take around 2.5 hours, Obama said.
"We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come," said President Obama. "A major new high-speed rail line will generate many thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees and increased economic activity in the destinations these trains serve."
The systems would mirror those in Europe and Japan, where high-speed railways are a common form of transportations.
"President Obama's vision of robust, high-speed rail service offers Americans the kind of travel options that throughout our history have contributed to economic growth and enhanced quality of life," said Secretary LaHood. "We simply can't build the economy of the future on the transportation networks of the past."
by RTT Staff Writer
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