Grant Awards
U.S. DOT and States Talk About Next Steps
U.S. DOT Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo and Deputy Administrator Karen Rae conducted a conference call with AASHTO CEOs and Rail Managers to talk about the next steps in the development of High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia participated in the call. Deputy Secretary Porcari laid out the vision of "Where do we go from here?" He reminded the states that there were $57 billion in applications and only $8 billion in funding. There is clearly an interest from the states on building the national network of high speed and intercity passenger rail. States should be focused on laying the groundwork in order to be successful applicants for future funding. These include doing the planning and environmental documents that are necessary to get projects that are "ready to go".
High-Speed Rail Grants Issued
The White House announced that 21 states and the Northeast Corridor will receive high-speed and passenger rail grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Nine states will receive grants for rail planning studies.