$8 billion for passenger rail

$8 billion for passenger rail    The Obama administration on Thursday announced it would split $8 billion in grant money provided in last year's stimulus bill for high-speed intercity passenger rail among 79 projects in 31 states and the District of Columbia.
   The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) received 259 applications requesting almost $57 billion in funding — seven times the amount available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
   Administration officials consider the $8 billion a down payment on its grand scheme to do for passenger rail what President Dwight D. Eisenhower did for the interstate highway system by upgrading existing rail routes so trains can go faster and building new infrastructure for ultra-fast travel. The stated goal of the first national high-speed passenger rail program, which envisions 13 new high-speed rail corridors — is to improve mobility and safety by taking people off congested roads between cities that are too close for efficient air travel, reducing emissions and dependence on foreign oil for transportation and make cities more livable. White House officials also consider the program an important job creator as they try to bring down the nation's high unemployment rate.
   The Department of Transportation has secured commitments from more than 30 domestic and foreign rail manufacturers to establish or expand their base of operations in the United States if they are hired to help build the new rail network.
   Under the administration's long-term plan high-speed rail would receive another $5 billion in annual appropriations spread out over five years.
   President Obama unveiled the awards at a ceremony in Tampa, Fla., where he highlighted a project to build passenger rail line between Tampa and Orlando where trains are expected to reach 168 mph. The project received $1.25 billion from the federal grant program to build 84 miles of track and stations, and purchase equipment.
   The largest award — $2.25 billion — went to a major project in California connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles with trains running up to 220 mph. Many smaller awards are to start planning that will lay the groundwork for future high-speed intercity rail services.
   Many rail projects will have to share track with freight trains and the FRA has instructed states to coordinate potential operations with freight railroads.

LaHood

   'This is an absolute game-changer for American transportation,' Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in Tampa. The nation's existing transportation network is based on 'the infrastructure of a previous century, one with plentiful energy and no sense of role carbon emissions play in our health and the health of the planet. And it's not adequate for the growth of our nation's population, its commerce, its mobility.'
   A panel of rail experts debated at the Transportation Research Board's annual convention in Washington this month whether the FRA should sprinkle seed money around the country or allocate the majority of funds to a couple of high-profile projects that would serve as success stories and generate support for further rounds of funding.
   The Urban Land Institute called the government's investment in high-speed passenger rail 'a much-needed, and long-overdue, step forward in improving connections between our nation's urban areas.'
   The non-profit education and research institute said 'the system for allocating funding to states through a competitive, merit-based system encourages the type of collaboration among urban regions that is critical to the success of any transportation system serving multiple jurisdictions. This is a significant improvement over the traditional formula-based system long used for allocation of federal transportation funding.'
   'This is only a first step. Continued federal funding and support is crucial to ensuring the building of a national system,' said Gene Conti, secretary of the North Caroline Department of Transportation, in a statement released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. ' Eric Kulisch