Obama serving cookies to guests in the White House theaterPolitico: 'Obama plans huge railroad expansion: Railroads made Chicago, and now a Chicago-rich White House wants to return the favor: remaking rail with a huge new federal investment in high-speed passenger trains. The $787.2 billion economic recovery bill - to be signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday - dedicates $8 billion to high-speed rail, most of which was added in the final closed-door bargaining at the instigation of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. It's a sum that far surpasses anything before attempted in the United States - and more is coming. Administration officials told Politico that when Obama outlines his 2010 budget next week, it will ask for $1 billion more for high-speed rail in each of the next five years.'Read more about the high speed rail here and here.
Apparently, republican Arlen Specter tucked it in the bill at the last minute:
One of the biggest changes was the increase for high-speed rail. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a key backer of the bill, introduced a high-speed rail bill in the fall. Ms. Snowe was a co-sponsor of that bill.From the U.S. Public Interest Research Group:
The addition was cheered by transit advocates, who had been dismayed that the stimulus deal included only $8.4 billion for mass transit. “After decades of looking on with envy at efficient bullet trains overseas, American high-speed rail is finally leaving the station,” John Krieger of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said in a statement.
The money would only be a small down payment, though, toward bringing high-speed rail to fruition. Californians voted in November to approve $10 billion in borrowing to begin building a high-speed rail line; the state currently estimates that the project will cost $45 billion to complete. NYT
In a bold and far-sighted move, Congress added $9.3 billion in the American Reinvestment and Economic Recovery Act for development of high speed rail and other intercity rail. This amount was large increase from the Senate version of the bill and came on top of $8.4 billion designated for public transit agencies.
“This bill, especially the money for high speed rail, marks a bold step for 21st century transportation,” said John Krieger, Transportation Advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). “After decades of looking on with envy at efficient bullet trains overseas, American high speed rail is finally leaving the station.”
The additional high speed rail funds mark the second time that public transportation has bucked the general trend in the Recovery Act. When the bill came to the floor of the House, dozens of amendments for additional were all defeated – with the sole exception of a measure to add $3 billion to public transportation. That amendment passed on a voice vote without opposition and with speeches of support from Republicans.
The $8.4 billion total for transit agencies is the same amount as in the earlier Senate version and less than proposed by the House. According to a statement from Speaker Pelosi’s office outlining the amounts, the transit money, “Includes funds for new construction of commuter and light rail, modernizing existing transit systems, and purchasing buses and equipment to needed to increase public transportation and improve intermodal and transit facilities.” Pelosi’s office noted that, “states have 787 ready-to-go transit projects totaling about $16 billion.”
The money for high speed rail development and for intercity rail will be spent largely on projects to build and improve tracks, signals, and stations, as well as to make pedestrian, auto and transit crossings safer near corridors where trains will reach speeds in excess of 150 mph. Some of it will be spent to modernize Amtrak, which has seen six years of record ridership gains. Californians recently passed a $10 billion ballot question for a North-South high speed rail link for trains which will travel over 200 mph. The project will avoid the need for costly airport and highway expansion and millions of gallons of oil consumption.
The push for rail and other transit comes at a time of record levels of public transportation and Amtrak ridership and growing frustration with airports. Europe, Japan, and China, our major economic competitors, already have thousands of miles of high speed rail. Experts generally see high speed rail as a more efficient and time-saving option than airplanes for trips less than 500 miles.
Said Krieger, “funds for transit and other rail will get Americans back to work while reducing dependence on oil and congestion at highways and airports.”
The stimulus bill also includes for transportation: $27.5 billion for highways, $1.5 billion for competitive state and local grants, and $1.3 billion for investment in air transportation systems. A copy of the press release from House Appropriations appears at: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/PressSummary02-12-09.pdf
