President Barack Obama announced $8 billion in grants Thursday for states investing in new high-speed rail corridors, in what some are declaring will be the biggest transport infrastructure project since Eisenhower's interstate highway system. The bulk of Thursday's grants were given to the states of California, Illinois and Florida, and are designed for projects linking the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Chicago and St. Louis, and Tampa and Orlando. The Guardian reports:
The awards make good on Obama's promises to help America catch up with European and Japanese rail travel. During a visit to Strasbourg a year ago, the president confessed to a secret hankering after the TGV and other fast trains. But rail experts — and Obama and Biden today — admit that the $8bn represents only a start to the estimated cost of building a truly modern network. The administration has also committed another $5bn for rail under last year's recovery plan.
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