As you may remember, there was $8 billion in the stimulus package for high-speed rail projects. Today, Tranportation for America provides us with an update: the Federal Railroad Administration has already received 278 pre-applications for that money, totaling $102 billion in aggregate. So suffice it to say there will be some disappointed would-be rail commuters.
So who’s getting the cash? As we mentioned before, it’ll probably be projects that correspond to the red lines in the map above. Those are the routes the FRA already indicated it’s most interested in. The first grantees will be announced in the fall.
And a quick side note: For those paying attention to these debates in the media about whether the stimulus is working or not, remember that the bulk of the money—like this $8 billion for rail—has not been spent yet. That’s because it takes a while to build things with lasting value, especially if you’re careful about which projects to fund.
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