Midwest Vies for Stimulus Aid for Fast Rail

Report Read time:
Midwest Vies for Stimulus Aid for Fast Rail

The race is on for states that want to build high-speed rail routes to whisk passengers hundreds of miles from city to city without the hassle of flying.

Congress sounded the starting gun by offering $8 billion in stimulus money to promote faster passenger rail service. Applications for the money, which likely will be parceled out all over the country, are due Aug. 24. But there already are two clear front-runners, offering contrasting approaches.

California dreams of bullet trains that could speed the 432 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in little more than two and a half hours. The European-style trains would cruise on all-new track, hitting 220 mph in places. California voters in November approved spending $10 billion to start building the new network, but it wouldn't be finished until 2020 at the earliest.

The other chief competitor is a coalition of nearly a dozen Midwestern states betting that slow and steady wins the race. The Midwestern trains would reach top speeds of 110 mph, faster than the 79-mph limit of most Amtrak trains today but only half as fast as those on the drawing board in California.

Read the full report Midwest Vies for Stimulus Aid for Fast Rail on Stateline.org.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

A scuba diver wearing a black full-body wetsuit and a pale-yellow air tank glides through fairly clear, shallow waters above an expansive bed of seagrasses. The diver is holding a thin line that extends toward the surface, and silhouettes of some small fish are visible in the background. How Maps Inform Climate and Conservation Decisions
Three men in baseball caps, visible only from above, are examining dead swordfish—silvery in color and laid out on a concrete floor with their signature swords cut off. There are about a dozen fish on the floor, each about four to five feet long. Japan Poised to Lead on Fisheries Oversight in Pacific
High angle aerial view of Indianapolis and the White River park How States Are Boosting Broadband with Pandemic Funds
A close-up of a dark-brown-skinned woman’s hand holding a cellphone. She wears a beaded bracelet and is sitting beside a brick wall and a window. Most U.S. Adults Remain Unaware of 988 Crisis Lifeline
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?