Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor
Feb 1, 2010

A new study reinforces the open secret of distracted driving — legislation requiring hands-free cell phones won’t do the job (WSJ)

More proof that the vice president was correct in calling high-speed rail grants apolitical: Pennsylvania’s Democratic-rich leadership is upset to see their state got shut out (Trib-Review)

In Tampa, meanwhile, joy over rail money is giving way to questions over how to connect the bullet train to new local transit options (St. Pete Times)

And in Connecticut, high-speed rail backers aren’t getting discouraged by their $40m award (Courant)

Obama’s budget, slated for release tomorrow, proposes giving Build America Bonds permanent status (Bloomberg)

Oberstar’s home-state editorial board laments the federal government’s transport funding crisis (Star-Trib)

LaHood: Toyota’s fix for its gas-pedal defect disaster is satisfactory (Reuters)

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Midwest High-Speed Rail Group Starts Lobby Push for House’s $4B Bill

By Elana Schor | Aug 13, 2009

Map of the proposed midwest high-speed rail system. (Photo: TrainWeb.org) Congress agrees that the White House’s ambitious high-speed rail plan should be funded next year — but the House is pushing for $2.8 billion more than the Senate, setting up a high-stakes battle that rail advocates want the House to win. Enter the Midwest High-Speed […]

Michigan’s Looking Good in the High-Speed Rail Chase

By Elana Schor | Jun 12, 2009

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) is a powerful advocate for high-speed rail funding. (Photo: Listings Foreclosures) During an appearance in Michigan today to promote the Obama administration’s economic recovery efforts, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a potentially prescient prediction about the regions vying for federal help to build inter-city high-speed rail. Per the Detroit News, […]

32 Rail Companies Commit to Expanding in U.S. Under High-Speed Rail Plan

By Elana Schor | Dec 4, 2009

As the Obama administration and Congress keep a close eye on jobless numbers and the shrinking American manufacturing base, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today that 32 rail companies that have promised to expand U.S. operations if they are chosen to help states build high-speed train networks. Transportation Secretary LaHood, at left, toured the Spanish […]

Expectations for High-Speed Rail Coming Down to Earth

By Elana Schor | May 5, 2010

Three months after the Obama administration announced the first winners of what it hopes will be the first of many federal grants to build U.S. high-speed rail networks, advocates and planners are settling in for a long battle to surmount the obstacles and unknowns that stand in the way of long-term bullet train development. If […]

Celebration in California As White House Awards $2.3B for High-Speed Rail

By Elana Schor | Jan 29, 2010

In California, the state’s bid for a federal high-speed rail network with top speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour is often called the "only true" bullet train proposal on the table — and the Obama administration agreed today, bestowing $2.34 billion on the Golden State to the delight of lawmakers and rail advocates. Graphic: CHSRC […]

Jindal’s Not Alone: Guvs Who Shunned Stimulus Warm to High-Speed Rail

By Elana Schor | Aug 20, 2009

Think Progress took note yesterday of a change of heart from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), who blasted the economic stimulus law for its $8 billion in "wasteful spending" on high-speed rail — only to later seek $300 million of that money for a rail link between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Gov. Mark Sanford […]