Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor
Feb 11, 2010

How Florida’s congressional delegation helped make its high-speed rail award happen (HuffPost)

Michael Lindenberger responds to this week’s online back-and-forth over taxing gas v. VMT (Morn News)

Senate jobs bill — with a highway trust fund extension but no TIGER money — expected to be delayed for 10 more days (WSJ)

Chinese high-speed rail proving popular enough to scare airlines into fare cuts (Bloomberg)

Steven Pearlstein on what blizzards can teach us about local governance (WashPost)

Indiana transit planners propose a massive new public-private partnership including rail, buses, and new toll roads (Indy Star)

Vancouver Olympics officials bring in 99 new transit buses after California-based models couldn’t handle step mountain-grade travel (Van. Sun)

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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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]