MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US plans 53 billion USD high-speed rail and intercity network investment

Train commuter Vice President Joe Biden officially launched the plan

United States unveiled a strategy to spend 53 billion US dollars on high-speed rail and intercity network over the next six years. It's a plan that will, according to Vice-president Joe Biden, bring the US closer to giving 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail in the next 25 years.

In the next year alone, the US government has earmarked 8 billion USD on developing three corridors: a Core Express with trains travelling at speeds of 125-250 mph or higher, regional lines with train speeds of 90-125 mph, and emerging rail corridors with trains travelling up to 90 mph (to provide people access to the Core Express and regional lines).

More details will be revealed next week February 14, when the administration of President Barack presents the 2012 federal budget but opposition Republicans are already attacking the plan.

“Rail projects that are not economically sound will not ‘win the future.’ It just prolongs the inevitable by subsidizing a failed Amtrak monopoly that has never made a profit or even broken even. Government won’t develop American high-speed rail. Private investment and a competitive market will” said Railroads Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster in a statement.

The Obama administration’s goal is to connect large metropolitan communities and economies with a transportation alternative to ease congestion on roads and at airports while reducing pollution.

“There are key places where we cannot afford to sacrifice as a nation -- one of which is infrastructure” underlined Biden.

The six-year53 billion USD request comes on top of a 10.5 billion USD down payment toward a high-speed rail system, 8 billion of which was funded through the stimulus program.

A high route in Florida spanning from Tampa to Orlando will start construction this year and finish in 2014.