High speed rail Florida funds diverted to Northeast corridor

High Speed Rail Florida Funds Re-Channeled Elsewhere

High speed rail funds worth $2 billion which was originally intended for Florida have been re-allocated to California and the Northeast after "The Sunshine State" spurned the project.

The White House announced the transfer of funding to build 22 high-speed rail networks in key regions in the country as part of its infrastructure modernization program.

Routes between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and between Boston and Washington, as well as Midwest cities will benefit from the project partly funded by the stimulus program of the Obama administration.

High speed rail upgrades worth $300 million will be done for the Manhattan hub, hastening train services between New York and Philadelphia.

In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden, a former Amtrak commuter during his days as a senator, reiterated the administration's vision. "President Obama and I made a commitment to improve and expand America's transportation system," adding that the projects "will continue our progress toward making this vision a reality."

High speed rail Florida funds were turned away by Gov. Rick Scott after he was elected into office, citing the heavy financial burden on the state to build and operate the trains on the long-term.

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the funding should "help states across the country create jobs, spur economic development and boost manufacturing in their communities."

The administration would like to give high speed rail services to about 80 percent of Americans within 25 years.

"By 2050, the United States will be home to 100 million additional people -- the equivalent of another California, Texas, New York and Florida combined," LaHood said during the announcement at Penn Station in New York. "We simply cannot build enough highways and airports to accommodate this growth.

Opponents of the high speed rail program say that it is unnecessary spending that will further increase the huge budget deficit.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Tuesday May 10 2011, 5:29 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0