President Barack Obama has announced a national vision for fast trains aimed at reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. He invoked the memory of President Abraham Lincoln and his quest to build the transcontinental railroad and dubbed his vice president, Joseph Biden, as “the nation’s No. 1 railfan.”

Other highlights of the president’s plan are the eleven high-speed rail corridors that were  indentified as possisble recipients of the $8 billion in the federal five-year stimulus funding.
He also cited the success of high-speed rail systems, such as those found in France and Japan, as positive examples of what future U.S. railroad transportation would look like.

Obama personally asked that $8 billion in fast train funding be inserted in the National Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed earlier this year. He’s also asked for $1 billion in annual funding for the projects over the next five years to expand the corridors. His speech today laid out the philosophical underpinnings of a plan that, if enacted, would create a new era of train travel in America.

The U.S. Department of Transportation will lay out specific money allocations by the end of the summer, Obama said. The 11 corridors and networks that will be eligible for the recovery funds are those originally designated under the Clinton Administration’s transportation secretary, Rodney Slater. A map of those corridors is available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/RRdev/hsrmap.pdf.

In his speech, Obama made the case that fast trains connecting city centers is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to reinvent America’s system of getting around. “Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city,” Obama urged Americans in the speech. “No racing to an airport and across the terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 mph, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.”

Obama said the first phase of the project will address existing lines, focusing on “projects that can create jobs and benefits in the near-term. We’re not talking about starting from scratch. We’re talking about using existing infrastructure to increase speeds on some routes from 70 mph to over 100 mph.” The second phase, he said, would be true high speed, comparable to the systems of Europe.

The vision is a grand victory for passenger train advocates, several of whom were present for the speech. Joining Obama on stage were Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who both made brief remarks. LaHood called out prominent train backers in the audience, including Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn.; Rep. Robert E. Andrews, D-N.J.; plus the mayors of Meridian, Miss.; Philadelphia; Richmond, Va.; and Rockville, Md.

Since the creation of Amtrak, America hasn’t had a truly pro-passenger-rail presidential administration. Obama’s plan represents a shift in principles, and money is now in place to get the first projects under way. But turning Obama’s vision into reality will take decades, and future administrations will have to be on board. The most significant immediate challenge will be for the Administration and Congress to develop a sustainable funding mechanism in the upcoming, 5-year surface transportation reauthorization, to be debated this year, that will put rail, air, and highways on an equal footing.

But Obama sold his plan as eminently reasonable. “It’s being done. It’s just not being done here,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t do this. This is America. There’s no reason why the future of travel should lie somewhere else, beyond our borders.” – Andy Cummings