President Obama Pushes For Better Rail System To Foster Energy Independence

President Barack Obama says it's time the U.S. had a high speed rail system like those in Japan, France and Spain. He says while it'll be a "long-term project," high-speed trains would relieve congestion on the nation's clogged highways and airways. He also says it can help keep the air cleaner and save on energy.

By: AP | WJBF-TV
Published: April 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says it's time the U.S. had a high speed rail system like those in Japan, France and Spain.

He says while it'll be a "long-term project," high-speed trains would relieve congestion on the nation's clogged highways and airways. He also says it can help keep the air cleaner and save on energy.

The president has allocated $8 billion of the $787 billion economic stimulus pace to start building rail corridors nationwide. The Transportation Department has identified 10 possible routes, including a California corridor from San Diego to the Bay Area, another in the Pacific Northwest and one through Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. In the East, possible corridors go across Northern New England, New York state, Pennsylvania, Florida and through the Southeast from Washington to Jacksonville, Florida. A network in the Midwest would have a Chicago hub, while another proposed project could run along the Gulf Coast from Houston to Atlanta.

The Federal Railroad Administration uses the term "high-speed" for trains traveling more than 90 miles an hour, but they can go much faster. Japan's averages about 180 through the countryside.