Obama calls for high speed rail in US

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US President Obama is calling for a swift move to high-speed rail travel in the country, noting that it would substantially help relieve traffic congestion, improve air quality and conserve energy.

In an appearance with Vice President Joe Biden and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the president stressed that America could not afford to wait to make a major investment in the upgrade of rail travel.

In the country’s $787 billion spending package to stimulate the economy, Obama has allocated $8 billion to begin work on high-speed rail corridors across the US. Understanding that it will be “a long-term project,” he said that it was important to begin now.

The President said: “This is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It’s happening now. The problem is, it’s happening elsewhere,” he added, citing the superior high-speed rail networks in operation in China, Japan, France and Spain.

As the country’s airways and highways “are clogged with traffic,” the rail upgrades are critical, he said.

Stimulus money will be spent on the improvement of existing rail services as well as high-speed line development, with the overall goal of making train travel faster and more appealing.

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