President Obama has followed up quickly on his "state of the union" pledge to support high-speed rail, awarding $1.23 billion to projects in Illinois.
"There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains," Obama said in his address to Congress last night.
Illinois' funding will mostly pay for new high-speed infrastructure for service between Chicago and St. Louis.
The money will come from $8 billion earmarked in last year's stimulus package.
Indeed, Obama touted high-speed rail's stimulative value last night, promoting a high-speed rail line he'll break ground on in Florida today.
"There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help our nation move goods, services, and information," he said.
Illinois officials had hoped to get as much as $4.5 billion in funding for high-speed rail, but Sen. Dick Durbin told the Chicago Tribune Illinois would take what it could get.
"At the end of the day, Chicago is still the rail hub of America, and it will be the high-speed rail hub of America," Durbin said. "That is good for us, good for the communities that are nearby and good for people who work construction jobs."
Windy Citizen 