High-speed rail project in Florida back on track after key meeting

High Speed Rail in Florida Back on Track

The derailed high-speed rail plan in Florida may yet be built after it was revived by two key government officials in charge of the project.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood met with Florida Governor Rick Scott on Friday to talk more about the program .

LaHood said in a statement that Gov. Scott "asked me for additional information about the state's role in this project, the responsibilities of the Florida Department of Transportation, as well as how the state would be protected from liability."

President Barack Obama is pushing infrastructure development as one of his administration programs. But states like Florida have been reluctant to take on the said high-speed rail project because of cost concerns.

On the other hand, Obama and transportation officials have touted that the project will create more jobs and will help to jumpstart the states' economies.

Gov. Scott has already ruled out earlier the construction of the Orlando - Tampa high-speed rail connection, but it seems he is giving the project a second look. Federal transportation officials are keen on selling the idea once again to him.

"I feel we owe it to the people of Florida, who have been working to bring high speed rail to their state for the last 20 years, to go the extra mile," LaHood said in his prepared statement.

LaHood said Gov. Scott will be reviewing and deciding with finality next week on what to do about the deal between the cities involved and state transportation officials regarding the high speed rail project in Florida.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Saturday February 26 2011, 4:09 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0