Thursday update:
North Carolina’s receiving $545 million from that pool of $8 billion for high-speed rail projects.
Here’s the story that ran today in the Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh. Here’s the press release from the N.C. DOT.
The DOT reports that North Carolina got $520 million for improvements to tracks that will allow higher speeds between Raleigh and Charlotte and $25 million for projects to improve service reliability from Raleigh north to Virginia. Virginia received $75 million for improvements to the Richmond to Washington section of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor.
A rail “fact sheet” from bytrain.org notes that the strategy in North Carolina is to improve the route incrementally by upgrading existing rights of way. (I.e., instead of wholesale replacement of the line or adding hot new technologies. Don’t hold your breath for bullet trains or a French-style TGV.)
Wednesday night post: Apparently, tomorrow’s the day it’s announced who’s getting the $8 billion set aside for high-speed rail projects. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is to appear and “make a Recovery Act announcement” at the Durham train station at 1:15 p.m, says an EPA press release.
Other news media are reporting in from other states. The Orlando Sentinel says President Obama will be in Tampa, and Florida is likely to get $1.25 billion to $1.4 billion. Crain’s Chicago Business says Midwest and California also getting money. Some 13 rail corridors in 31 states will get money. Which has me thinking, the Charlotte-Richmond line might not be getting so many pennies after all.
Pat Simmons of the N.C. DOT rail division wouldn’t confirm anything, but he said the Charlotte-Richmond corridor asked for $5.4 billion for corridor development. The idea would be to make a lot of fixes along the route to trim travel time. And (this is my wish) maybe add a few more trains?
The N&O’s Bruce Siceloff is on the case. He’ll snoop out details, I’m sure. See his Crosstown Traffic blog.