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LaHood: High-speed rail 'not a pipe dream'
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that President Obama's proposals to more build high-speed railways in the United States is "not a pipe dream."
LaHood has been attending the eighth annual World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Philadelphia, which he said Thursday in a blog post on the Department of Transportation's website is being hosted in the United States for the first time.
LaHood wrote that conference had come to America because the country was serious about building more high-speed railways.
"This week, the 8th World Congress on High Speed Rail is meeting, and — for the first time ever — it's meeting in the United States," LaHood wrote. "Why now? Because the world's rail manufacturers and operators know that this is an exciting moment to spotlight the progress of high speed rail and improved passenger rail in regions throughout the nation.
"Around the world, high-speed rail is not a pipe dream of the distant future," LaHood continued. "It’s happening right now, and it’s been happening for decades. And thanks to President Obama’s vision, high speed rail is coming to America."
Instead, he has focused on efforts to increase the speed of trains in the populous Northeast, where railways are popular, and on a recent vote to move forward with a proposed train system in California.
"Already, 32 states and the District of Columbia are at work building President Obama’s bold vision for 21st century rail," he wrote.
"Our partners are moving forward with 153 high-speed and higher performing passenger rail projects," LaHood continued. "This year alone, 45 projects representing nearly $3 billion in federal investment are scheduled to be underway or complete. In fact, 2012 marks the busiest rail construction season to date."
On Wednesday at the High-Speed Rail Congress, LaHood said that President Obama's high-speed rail initiative was "off to a good start," despite the stauch opposition it has received from Republican lawmakers and state leaders in Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida.
The High-Speed Rail Congress, which is sponsored by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), is scheduled to take place until Friday.
