VP Biden hosts High-Speed Rail round-table with state leaders today

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June 03, 2009
VP Biden hosts High-Speed Rail round-table with state leaders today

I'm looking forward later today to a round-table conversation on high-speed rail hosted by Vice President Biden.

President Obama has already made it clear that high-speed rail is part of his plan to transform the American transportation system. And there has been a great outpouring of political will around rail that tells us America can build and operate effective high-speed service.

Last week, I had the great pleasure of learning more about high-speed rail. I rode the AVE from Madrid to Zaragoza with Spanish Development Minister Jose Blanco. Do you know the Spanish have a goal of establishing high-speed rail stations within 30 kilometers of 90% of all Spaniards by 2020? Now, that's ambition.



I also rode the TGV in France from Paris to Strasbourg. And, at a conference in Germany, I was able to talk with German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee about Deutsche Bahn high-speed rail.

You have never met a group of people so proud to talk about their rail systems, the environmental benefits, the mobility benefits, the job-creation benefits.

Several governors who are interested in establishing high-speed corridors in their regions will be at today's round-table with Vice President Biden. I'm very interested in hearing their vision of what high-speed rail can do in the U.S.

As we begin these discussions about the future contours of American high-speed rail, we'll have a lot to talk about. It's a conversation this Administration is ready to host.