Release of Funds for Passenger Rail welcomed by AASHTO.

Press Release Summary:



AASHTO executive director John Horsley applauded funds released to state departments of transportation for high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects worth nearly 80 million dollars. According to Horsley, "31 states and the District of Columbia...are ready to put these investments and thousands of people to work today, building a passenger rail system America will use for generations." Specific projects cited included those in FL, CA, WI, NM, and NY.



Original Press Release:



AASHTO Pleased by Release of Funds for Passenger Rail



(Washington, DC)-State departments of transportation today received federal funds for high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects worth nearly $80 million.

"State departments of transportation are encouraged by this initial release of Recovery funds for high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects," said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. "A total of 31 states and the District of Columbia will share a portion of the unprecedented $8 billion in Recovery Act funds. Our DOTs are ready to put these investments and thousands of people to work today, building a passenger rail system America will use for generations," Horsley said.

The U.S. DOT announced that Florida DOT received $66.6 million, which will be used for program management and preliminary engineering on the planned 168-mile high-speed rail service between Tampa and Orlando. The California department of transportation (Caltrans) received $6.2 million for track relocation work on the Capitol Corridor route connecting San Francisco and Sacramento. The Wisconsin DOT will use the $5.7 million it received for environmental assessments for new stations planned on the route between Milwaukee and Madison. The New York DOT received $1 million for planning projects to improve service on the Empire Corridor in New York State, and the New Mexico DOT received $100,000 for the creation of that state's first-ever rail plan.

The Chairman of AASHTO's Standing Committee on Rail Transportation, North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti, said, "States have and will continue to work with the FRA to move the program forward as quickly as possible." "We're building a 21st century transportation system and that's going to require strong partnerships on both the state and federal level." The North Carolina Department of Transportation is slated to receive $520 million in Recovery Act grants for its high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the Voice of Transportation representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico - including those DOTs now on-point to ensure the successful implementation of high-speed rail and intercity passenger rail projects in America. AASHTO has 100 years of experience in developing technical and engineering standards for highways and is already applying that expertise to develop high-speed rail through its committee structure, staffing, and communications tools such as its website, www.highspeed-rail.org. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/aashtospeaks.

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