x
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
U.S. plans to inject $53 billion into passenger rail, Biden says
Biden, who estimates he's ridden Amtrak between D.C. and his home in Wilmington, Del., 7,900 times, made a strong pitch for rail transportation.

By

David Warner, Reuters
Tue, Feb 08 2011 at 1:50 PM
 5
Vice President Joe Biden

HIGH-SPEED RAIL: Biden’s announcement comes when some Republicans in Congress are seeking to cut $2.5 trillion from federal spending over the next decade, including steep cuts in transportation. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

PHILADELPHIA - Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced an ambitious $53 billion program to build new high-speed rail networks and make existing ones faster over the next six years.
 
Biden, who estimated he has ridden Amtrak between Washington and his home in Wilmington, Delaware, some 7,900 times, made a strong pitch for rail transportation to enable the United States to compete and lead internationally.
 
"This is about seizing the future," he said, making the announcement at Philadelphia's busy 30th Street station with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
 
Japan and China are already building high-speed rail, and "there's no reason, none," that the United States cannot do the same, Biden said.
 
"If we do not, you tell me how America is going to be able to lead the world in the 21st century."
 
Under the initiative, the Department of Transportation will choose corridors for new projects and increase use of the passenger rails.
 
President Barack Obama's budget for fiscal year 2012, to be unveiled next week, includes $8 billion for the plan. The rest of the money would be allocated over the six-year time period.
 
Obama has said he wants to target investments in areas such as infrastructure while reducing spending to tackle the budget deficit.
 
The announcement comes when some Republicans in Congress are seeking to cut $2.5 trillion from federal spending over the next decade, including steep cuts in transportation.
 
Biden noted Obama's goal to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years, announced during his State of the Union address last month.
 
Specifically, Biden laid out plans for three types of rail — regional rail with trains speeds of 90 to 125 mph; core express rail corridors that would form the backbone of the high-speed system with electric trains traveling at speeds of 125 to 250 mph; and corridors with trains traveling at up to 90 mph.
 
The announcement follows Monday's news that Amtrak, the nation's largest passenger rail service, plans a $13.5 billion commuter-rail project connecting New York City and New Jersey, reviving an idea rejected late last year by New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, as too expensive.
 
Advocates say U.S. investment in high-speed rail lags many other countries and point to China, which plans to invest $451 billion to $602 billion in its high-speed rail network between 2011 and 2015, according to the China Securities Journal.
 
(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)
 

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 5
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
anonymous
paradigm shift Mar 10 2011 at 5:19 AM

put ALL the money into high speed rail throughout New England, New York State, and Chicago area, which are all designated high speed rail corridors and where voters WANT high speed rail and transportation options..we will GLADLY take the money tea partiers don't want'; have fun with ten dollar gas...suckers.

|
anonymous
I Pity the Fool Feb 12 2011 at 11:20 AM
Cars are an old, dead technology. The only reason we still have them at all is because they are so heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars (and zoning and parking requirements). The future is not cars. What the country needs is adequate infrastructure to support the continued growth in passenger rail and transit. This will soon be all electric. Who is going to spend hundreds of dollars per day on vehicle insurance, depreciation and fuel (and that's a subsidized price) for a car trip when they could
.... More
take the train for less and produce zero emissions doing it? Don't forget that you can take transit to the train station and walk when you arrive at your destination. Cars may have made sense 20 or 30 years ago, but certainly not now. High-speed rail is the future, and a very wise use of taxpayer dollars.
|
anonymous
val laurent Feb 20 2011 at 2:10 AM

you ARE RIGHT.... you can transport much more people efficiently via rail than traffic jams.

|
anonymous
Bob Frappels Feb 10 2011 at 1:32 PM
Rail is an old, dead technology. The only reason we still have it at all is because it is so heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars. The future is not rail. What the country needs is adequate infrastructure to support the continued growth in automobile traffic. That traffic will soon be all electric. Who is going to spend $40+ per day (and that's a subsidized price) for a 75 mile rail trip that they could drive for less that $1 and produce zero emissions doing it? Don't forget that you still have
.... More
to drive to the train station, pay to park, then catch a cab or bus when you arrive at your destination. This would have made sense 20 or 30 years ago, but certainly not now. This is a very misguided use of taxpayer dollars.
|
anonymous
Guest Feb 20 2011 at 2:14 AM

cars via electric method will eventually get cheaper thus we need both but dedicated high rail wiil avoid traffic jams and will be cheaper as well as we can produce electricity cheaper and automate better requirement less labor. cars will require lots of labor when you cars doesn't run and need to go see your individual mechanic ths we need both methods of trans portation electric cars for individuality and high speed for mass transit.

|

EDITORS' PICKS

tease drones

line

tease book cars

line

tease sunscreen

Advertisement
From our sponsor

Mercedes-Benz USA on Facebook

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered
Advertisement