The US government awarded two billion dollars in funding Monday for high-speed rail projects including production of "next-generation" passenger trains and improvement of the country's busy north-east corridor. The unprecedented investment "will help ensure America is equipped to win the future with the fastest, safest and most efficient transportation network in the world," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
President Barack Obama has highlighted the need to spend billions to develop high-speed railways in key corridors to sustain the country's economic recovery and boost the competitiveness of the country's infrastructure. Vice President Joe Biden, who during his years in the US Senate regularly commuted by rail from his home state of Delaware to the capital Washington, hailed the projects aimed at transforming the US rail system.
They will "put thousands of Americans to work, save hundreds of thousands of hours for American travellers every year, and boost US manufacturing by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in next-generation, American-made locomotives and railcars," he said. The Transportation Department selected 15 states and national rail operator Amtrak to receive $2.02 billion for 22 intercity rail projects, part of a plan to connect 80 percent of Americans to high-speed rail within 25 years.
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