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High-speed rail advocates talked up its benefits at a congressional hearing Thursday, while opponents raised concerns around how projects can be financed and be economically viable.
Supporters testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials focused on how high-speed rail could translate to reduced congestion, new job opportunities and economic revitalization for communities.
But the specter of the troubled California High-Speed Rail project loomed large for opponents, who said it showed that similar projects are not feasible, even as elected leaders talked up the potential for a robust network. High-speed rail could be the technology that fully unlocks the potential of passenger rail travel in this country, said Subcommittee Chair Donald Payne, D-N.J. Other countries have integrated high-speed rail systems into their transportation networks and the United States has an op
Published: Monday, May 3, 2021
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Photo credit: Francis Chung/E&E News
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has emerged as the Republicans lead negotiator on infrastructure. Francis Chung/E&E News
The House and Senate are technically not in session this week, but discussions on President Biden s multitrillion-dollar infrastructure push will continue behind the scenes and in virtual committee hearings.
While there s plenty of skepticism on both sides on the prospects for bipartisanship, there were also positive signs last week and over the weekend in the quest for common ground.
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(WASHINGTON) President Joe Biden campaigned on sparking the “second great railroad revolution” in a car-centric nation where rail infrastructure has languished for decades.
The president famously commuted daily from Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington, D.C., during his time as a senator, logging millions of miles riding the rails and earning the nickname “Amtrak Joe.”
“He’s the first president in decades who’s routinely ridden trains and he understands just how functional they are,” Robert Yaro, the former president of the New York’s Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit civic planning organization, and a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, told ABC News.
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How the administration could transform America s embarrassing rail service.
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Biden’s infrastructure plan would give much-needed boost to rail system
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill would allocate $80 billion toward a rail system sorely in need of an upgrade.Joe McNally/Getty Images, FILE
President Joe Biden campaigned on sparking the “second great railroad revolution” in a car-centric nation where rail infrastructure has languished for decades.
The president famously commuted daily from Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington, D.C., during his time as a senator, logging millions of miles riding the rails and earning the nickname “Amtrak Joe.”