U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that 54 high-speed rail projects in 23 states will share in $2.4 billion to continue developing America’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

The DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration received 132 applications from 32 states totaling $8.8 billion, more than three times the $2.4 billion available.

The additional $2.4 billion is being awarded for a range of activities, such as construction of track and stations, purchase of new passenger equipment, and planning studies to develop new high-speed rail service.

In the spring of 2009 I wrote about the first round of awards for the initial $8 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (‘Getting the U.S. up to Speed in Rail Travel’). That fall, applicants submitted more than $55 billion in project proposals. The federal budget called for the original $8 billion to be bolstered by $1 billion a year for five years.

The DOT announced that more than 30 rail manufacturers and suppliers have agreed to establish or expand their bases of operations in the United States if they are hired to build America’s next generation high-speed lines, a commitment the Obama Administration secured to help ensure new jobs are created here, and […]