LATE UPDATE: This piece by BruceMcF is a must-read: How to build a national high-speed rail system.
President Barack Obama and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a
blueprint for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines Thursday, saying such an investment is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment.
The president’s plan identifies 10 potential high-speed intercity corridors for federal funding, including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and New England.
It also highlights potential improvements in the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor running from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts.
The economic stimulus package included about $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, and Obama is seeking an additional $1 billion each year for high-speed rail in the next five federal budgets.
After the jump I’ve got more details on how this funding could benefit Iowa.
Matthew Yglesias would like to see the federal investment concentrated in the east coast corridors, where we know there is already demand for train service. But what do you expect from a New Yorker who went to college in Massachusetts and has lived in New York City or Washington ever since?
Building high-speed rail linking major midwestern cities to Chicago would have huge economic benefits. Energy usage and greenhouse-gas emissions would also decline if large numbers of people opted to take the train rather than drive or fly on many of those routes.
Yesterday Chet Culver was among eight Midwestern governors who signed a letter to Secretary LaHood asking him to support the “Midwest Regional Rail Initiative,” which
focuses on upgrading three existing routes by 2014 – one between Chicago and St. Louis, one between Chicago and Madison, Wis., via Milwaukee and one between Chicago and Pontiac, Mich., through Detroit.
Federal investment in high-speed rail links to a hub in Chicago would improve prospects for regular passenger rail from Iowa cities to Chicago. In fact, the first round of stimulus money allocated to rail will
go to upgrading and increasing speeds on existing lines where people could quickly be put to work. The second and third phases would focus on high-speed rail planning and money to jump-start corridors not yet ready for construction. The Transportation Department is to announce first-round grants before the end of the summer.
Representative Bruce Braley, who has pushed hard for funding passenger rail links to Iowa (see also here), issued a statement today praising Obama’s rail initiative:
“President Obama’s passenger rail plan is good news for proponents of bringing Amtrak to eastern Iowa. His plan, combined with the huge passenger rail investment in the Economic Recovery Act and passenger rail investments called for in the President’s budget, will help speed the advance of passenger rail to cities in eastern Iowa and beyond.
“Today, the President stressed a long-term goal of comprehensive high speed rail systems. In order to reach this goal, the President noted that we must support passenger rail lines that are ‘ready to go’ and will create jobs now.
“The Chicago to Quad Cities and Chicago to Dubuque lines are shovel-ready rail projects that will create jobs and economic growth immediately. Both projects have my full support and I hope to see ground broken on these two projects as early links in President Obama’s proposed national rail system.”
UPDATE: Forgot to mention that although competition for the stimulus rail funding will be fierce, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Transportation Secretary LaHood’s Illinois roots improved prospects for funding routes to Chicago.