President Obama doled out $8 billion in federal stimulus money Thursday to build and improve rail lines in 31 states, helping fund high-speed service between Richmond and Washington and replacement of a 19th-century tunnel through Baltimore. The almost $140 million for the regional projects was a pittance in contrast to the big-ticket items funded elsewhere. California will receive $2.3 billion and Florida $1.3 billion to build high-speed rail lines linking San Francisco and San Diego, and Orlando and Tampa. ‘There is no reason why other countries can build high-speed rail lines and we can’t,’ Obama said Thursday in Tampa, chosen as the backdrop to announce the winners among 45 applicants whose requests totaled $50 billion. Obama promised his Tampa audience that once the line to Disney World is completed, he will return to ride it. In the meantime, he said, the rail projects will put Americans to work. ‘It creates jobs immediately, and it lays the foundation for a vibrant economy in the future,’ Obama said. Advocates of rail travel and transport relished the moment. ‘This is the biggest single investment in intercity rail service in our lifetime,’ said John Horsley of the American […]