Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about High-Speed Rail

House Votes to Strip High-Speed Rail Funding

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 15, 2011 | No Comments

This morning, the House voted 232-182 for an Energy and Water Appropriations bill that redirects $1 billion of high-speed rail money to flood relief for the Midwest. Never mind that that flood relief won’t arrive for many months, since this is a 2012 appropriations bill. The important thing here is to kill high-speed rail. (Why? […]

Northeast Corridor, the Midwest, and California Say “Thanks, Florida!”

By Tanya Snyder | May 9, 2011 | No Comments

Thanks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s head-smacker of a decision to refuse billions in federal high-speed rail funds, other parts of the country are getting a windfall. Even with $400 million of Florida’s money vanishing in the name of deficit reduction, the remaining $2 billion will go a long way in improving rail service in […]

High-Speed Rail Funds Get Slashed in Detailed Budget Plan

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 12, 2011 | No Comments

Just when we thought transportation had gotten off relatively easy in the shutdown-aversion budget deal: The House Appropriations Committee has released details [PDF] on the budget agreement between the two houses, including more information on the agreed-to $38.5 billion in cuts. Where we’d heard before that high-speed rail was getting a $1.5 billion haircut, down […]

Florida Gov. Rick Scott Chooses Politics Over Constituents, Rejects HSR Funds

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 16, 2011 | No Comments

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced today he would forfeit $2 billion in federal grants to build a high-speed rail line between Orlando and Tampa. Florida Governor Rick Scott: hot on road spending, cool on rail. Photo: Joe My God The announcement ended months of speculation about whether Scott would join fellow Republican Governors John Kasich […]

“Amtrak Joe” Biden, in Philly, Announces New Plan for High-Speed Rail

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 8, 2011 | No Comments

The Obama administration is taking its infrastructure push on the road. First stop: Philadelphia, to announce a $53 billion plan to invest in high-speed rail. To Vice President Joe Biden, high-speed rail isn’t just another administration initiative. He’s Mr. Amtrak. He gets it. Biden says he’s made 7,900 round trips between Wilmington and Washington on […]

Mica Touts Public-Private Northeast Corridor HSR In Grand Central Hearing

By Noah Kazis | Jan 27, 2011 | No Comments

Sitting beneath the famous zodiac mural of Grand Central’s main concourse, with the rumble of commuters and trains in the background, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held its first field hearing of the new session this morning. The topic was the future of high-speed rail on the Northeast Corridor. Chairman John Mica led the […]

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