North Carolina will get just $1.5 million of the high-speed rail money recently spurned by new Republican leaders in Ohio and Wisconsin, Ray LaHood, the U.S. transportation secretary, said today.
Most of the $1.195 billion originally designated for the two midwestern states will be spent instead on the nation's three most ambitious passenger rail projects -- two in California ($624 million) and one in Florida ($342 million). The remaining 11 states receiving shares range from Washington state ($162 million) and Illinois ($42 million) to Indiana ($365,000), with North Carolina third from the bottom.
LaHood, a Republican serving in the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama, had generated higher hopes when he told a Charlotte audience Nov. 17 that North Carolina could expect good news when DOT redistributed the Ohio and Wisconsin money. "You all are going to be in the high-speed rail business," he said then.
The money became available after the November elections. Republican John Kasich, Ohio's governor-elect, said he would reject more than $400 million promised by the Obama administration for passenger train service there. Scott Walker, the Republican governor-elect in Wisconsin, promised to cancel a project that had won $810 million in high-speed rail grants.
North Carolina and Virginia won federal grants totaling $623 million in January and an additional $68 million in October for the shared Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor from Charlotte to Washington. The two states have asked for $7.1 billion to complete the 475-mile project.
The Obama administration now has promised California $3.87 billion and Florida $2.79 billion for their fast-train projects.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter, editor and blogger since 1976, he took over the
Comments
Maybe we should blame the school board
Fri, 12/10/2010 - 00:02 — FSandYOUEverything else is their fault.
High Speed Rail Federal Dollars denied
Thu, 12/09/2010 - 22:32 — YardmasterApparently the 200% increase in patronage upon adding a mid-day Charlotte-Raleigh run means nothing to the Feds. NC should still be proud we did that on our own initiative and at bargain prices by using refurbished conventional equipment.
this project is a huge waste
Thu, 12/09/2010 - 16:57 — stopthespendingthis project is a huge waste of taxpayers dollars, just as was the global transpark. this spending lunicy has to stop, it is only being considered by those who benefit from it, ie the government bureaucrats and politicians who want their name on it. no economic model will justify its cost, nor will the supposed savings to the environment, which are also not there