acelaTAMPA, Fla. — As part of President Barack Obama’s jobs recovery act, the President  has  announced  on Thursday awards for the $8 billion in economic  Recovery Acts grant for the development of the U.S.’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

In last Wednesday’s  State of the Union speech in Washington, the president said, “We can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. From the first railroads to the interstate highway system, our nation has always been built to compete. There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.”

According to the White House, 31 states will be receiving investment rail-related awards  toward developing or laying the groundwork for 13 new, large-scale high-speed rail corridors across the country, including smaller projects and planning work that will help lay the groundwork for future high-speed intercity rail service.

The $8 billion investment is expected to create or save tens of thousands of jobs over time in areas such as track-laying, manufacturing, planning and engineering, and rail maintenance and operations. More than 30 railroad equipment manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, have agreed to establish or expand their base of operations in the United States if they are hired to build America’s next generation high-speed rail lines.

Here’s the list of the states that got awards Thursday:
North Carolina Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Transportation

Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $620 million
Benefiting states: North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C.
Miles of track: upgraded - 480 miles

The Southeast Corridor connects Charlotte, Raleigh, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. The long-term goal for this corridor is top speeds of up to 110 mph, reducing trip time by one-third from Washington, D.C. to Richmond, and to four and one-half hours between Richmond and Charlotte.

Florida Department of Transportation

Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $1.25 billion
Benefiting State: Florida
Miles of Track: new - 84, planned - 240, Total - 324 miles

Grants will go toward the creation of a new high-speed rail corridor that connects Tampa Bay, Orlando, Miami and other communities in central and south Florida.

The first phase of the service will connect Orlando to Tampa. The second phase will connect Orlando to Miami, following either an inland or coastal route.

California Department of Transportation; California High-Speed Rail Authority

Total Approximate Funding (all corridors): $2.344 billion
Benefi­ting States: California, Nevada
Miles of Track: New - 800 miles, Upgraded - 880 miles, Planned - 275 miles (est.), Total - Apex. 1,955 miles

Funding will go toward the construction of a new, electrically powered high-speed rail system of 800 miles serving major population centers from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego with over 300 trains per day. Phase I calls for a 520-mile system connecting Anaheim and Los Angeles through the Central Valley to San Francisco by 2020; Phase II would extend the system north to Sacramento and south to San Diego by 2026. Trains will reach speeds of 220 mph, providing a travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco of under 2 hours 40 minutes, compared to 6 hours by car.

Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority; Vermont Agency of Transportation, Massachusetts DOT, Rhode Island DOT, Connecticut DOT, New York State DOT, New Jersey Transit, Pennsylvania DOT, Delaware DOT, Maryland DOT, District of Columbia DOT

Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $485 million (ARRA High-Speed Rail Grants), $706 million (ARRA Amtrak Grants), $1,191,000,000 (Total)

Benefiting States: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C.
Miles of Track: New - 84, Upgraded - 1,542, Planned - 727

The seven intercity passenger rail corridors in the region include:

Washington, D.C. - New York- Boston (Northeast Corridor)
Philadelphia - Harrisburg
New York - Albany - Buffalo
New York - Montreal
Boston - Portland - Brunswick
Albany - Rutland
New Haven - Springfield - Burlington - St. Albans

Michigan Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $244 million
Benefiting States: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois
Miles of Track: Upgraded - 300

The corridor connects Chicago, Ill. and Detroit, Mich.
Grants will reduce travel time between Detroit and Chicago. The long-term vision for this corridor includes doubling the number of daily round trips between Detroit and Chicago and increasing speeds to 110 mph.

Washington State Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $598 million
Benefiting States: Washington, Oregon
Miles of Track: Upgraded - 437, Planned - 30, Total - 467 miles

Grants will further enhance service on the Washington and Oregon corridor.
The long-term vision for the corridor is to have a dedicated high-speed track, where trains will operate at up to 150 mph, with 13 daily round trips between Seattle and Portland.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation; Minnesota Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $823 million
Bene­fiting States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois
Miles of Track: Upgraded - 144 miles, New - 32 miles, Planned - 275 miles (est.), Total - Appx. 441 Miles

Grants will establish passenger service between Milwaukee and Madison with stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc, and Watertown at speeds of up to 110 mph. Service is expected by 2013. Improvements between Chicago and Milwaukee will ultimately reduce travel time by more than 30 percent and increase maximum speeds from 79 mph to 110 mph.

Texas Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $4 million
Benefiting State: Texas

Grants will implement the final design and construction of signal timing improvements at grade crossings between Austin and Fort Worth. This will increase the operating speed of Amtrak’s Texas Eagle and improve on-time performance.

Ohio Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $400 million
Benefiting State: Ohio
Miles of Track: New - 250 miles

This new corridor will connect four major metropolitan areas in Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. This significant route, named the “3C Corridor,” has a length of 250 miles and will serve communities near Lake Erie, in Central Ohio, and the Tri-State region around Cincinnati. These metropolitan areas are among the largest in the United States that are currently not served by passenger rail.

Illinois Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $1.133 billion
Benefiting States: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas
Miles of Track: Upgraded - 570 miles

The corridor connects Chicago, Ill. to St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. Currently, five daily round trips operate between Chicago and St. Louis and two daily round trips operate between St. Louis and Kansas City. Grants will allow trains to reach speeds of 110mph from Chicago to St. Louis to Kansas City, with up to eight daily round trips between Chicago and St. Louis.

Awardees: Iowa Department of Transportation
Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $17 million
Benefiting State: Iowa

This project will install four remotely controlled powered crossovers on the BNSF Ottumwa subdivision, which will reduce travel times and improve on-time performance.