PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 28 - Statement of PennPIRG State Director Megan DeSmedt on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that Pennsylvania will receive $26.4 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to prepare for high speed rail in the state.
The President followed up on last night’s commitment to job creation by announcing today that several states, including Pennsylvania, will receive funding to build or plan for high speed rail. Pennsylvania will receive $26.4 million as an initial down payment towards upgrading the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg to high-speed rail service. The grant also includes $750,000 towards an initial study of extending the Keystone Corridor to Pittsburgh.
Today’s down payment starts the long journey towards a stronger, faster rail system for Pennsylvania and for America.
High speed rail in Pennsylvania will put thousands of people to work, clean our air, cut our energy-consumption, and assist in the resurgence of American manufacturing. For millions of inter-city trips, high speed rail will be a faster, cleaner, more efficient way to travel across the state than driving or flying.
Congress needs to follow up on this initial investment by securing more long-term funding for both a high speed rail system and the local public transit systems that will eventually feed into it. There will never be a shortage of workers ready to build these projects, or riders ready to use them, but in order to finally realize clean, efficient transportation in Pennsylvania, today’s investment must be followed by continued commitment from our leaders.
On Feb. 9, PennPIRG will release The Right Track: Building a 21st Century High Speed Rail System for America, a major national research report quantifying the public interest benefits of high speed rail.
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