LaHood tells tourism summit rail will roll in U.S.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told attendees at a global tourism summit being hosted in Las Vegas that the Obama administration's high-speed rail initiative was still on track despite rejections of federal money by a trio Republican governors.

Newly elected GOP governors in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin have said "no" to entreaties to build new railways, despite the enticement of federal dollars. But LaHood said at the World Travel & Tourism Council's 11th annual summit that "Americans are way ahead of the politicians on this and it will be good for all of you in the hospitality industry.

"There is a pent-up demand in America for high-speed rail," The Wall Street Journal reported LaHood said during his remarks Tuesday.

LaHood blamed politics for the GOP governor's rejections, but he simultaneously predicted that the proposal to build more railways could overcome the politics in Washington.

"There is only one person in each of those states who didn't want the money," he said according to the newspaper. "The constituents, the citizens of those states, want high-speed rail.

"There are no Republican or Democrat roads, bridges or high-speed rail lines," he said. "It is very bipartisan."

LaHood was among several Obama administration officials scheduled to attend the WTTC summit, taking place May 17-19.