Author Description

This book provides a digest of federal publications on high-speed rail, including President Obama's announcement of a strategic plan ("Vision for High Speed Rail in America"). Contents include the High Speed Passenger Rail Safety Strategy, History of High Speed Rail, Safety and High Speed Rail, Positive Train Control, Right-of-Way Safety, Funding for HSR Corridors across America, High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program Guidance, the National Rail Plan, and Outreach. The Department of Transportation (USDOT) is awarding $8 billion to states across the country to develop America's first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), these dollars represent an historic investment in the country's transportation infrastructure, which will help create jobs and transform travel in America. The awards will serve as a down-payment on developing or laying the groundwork for 13 new, large-scale high-speed rail corridors across the country. The majority of the dollars will go toward developing new, large-scale high-speed rail programs. This includes projects in Florida, which is receiving up to $1.25 billion to develop a new high-speed rail corridor between Tampa and Orlando with trains running up to 168 miles per hour, and in California, which is receiving up to $2.25 billion for its planned project to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco and points in between with trains running up to 220 miles per hour.