$53 Billion to be Spent on High-Speed Rail Across the US (if the Republicans Agree)

Further to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, VP Joe Biden announced a proposal of $53 billion for high-speed rail throughout the country. $8 billion would be used now, and the other $45 billion would be used over the next 6 years.

Per the Wall Street Journal:

“In a global economy, we can’t forget that infrastructure is also the veins and the arteries of commerce,” the VP said.

Per Reuters:

"Advocates say U.S. investment in high-speed rail lags many other countries and point to China, which plans to invest $451 billion to $602 billion in its high-speed rail network between 2011 and 2015, according to the China Securities Journal."

As their is a Republican majority at the moment, it will be interesting to see if this proposal will see the light of day.

Per Discover Magazine:

"Wisconsin and Ohio’s governors recently refused federal rail money, and New Jersey’s Chris Christie canceled the ARC Tunnel project, which was intended to improve the overloaded connections used by people commuting from New Jersey to New York."

Many more details at DiscoverMagazine.
Rapid rail transit in the US would show the rest of the world that the States is progressive and, in some way, dedicated to reducing it's impact on the environment.