High-speed rail is red-hot. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has been flooded with proposals seeking a piece of the $8 billion it received for high-speed rail grants in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, the potential plans far outstrip DOT’s ARRA rail bank account. DOT’s Federal Rail-road Administration reported on July 16 it had received 278 rail-grant “pre-applications” totaling $102.5 billion. Some applicants may not win grants, but more money may be on the way. A House committee has recommended an additional $4 billion for high-speed rail in regular 2010 appropriations.
Looking at the crush of interest, Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, says, “Basically, this confirms what we’ve been saying. All around the country people want good, high-quality, dependable train service, and there needs to be a federal program to make it happen.”