ANN ARBOR - Statement of Kara Rumsey, PIRGIM advocate, on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that the Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago rail corridor will receive $244 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to prepare for high speed rail.
The President followed up on last night’s commitment to job creation by announcing today that several states, including Michigan, will receive funding to build or plan for high speed rail. Michigan will benefit from the $244 million granted as an initial down payment towards a high speed rail link between Detroit and Chicago.
Today’s down payment starts the long journey towards a stronger, faster rail system for America.
High speed rail in Michigan will put thousands of people to work, clean our air, cut our energy-consumption, and assist in the resurgence of American manufacturing. For millions of intercity trips, high speed rail will be a faster, cleaner, more efficient way to travel across the state than driving or flying.
Congress needs to follow up on this initial investment by securing more long-term funding for both a high speed rail system and the local public transit systems that will eventually feed into it. There will never be a shortage of workers ready to build these projects, or riders ready to use them, but in order to finally realize clean, efficient transportation in Michigan, today’s investment must be followed by continued commitment from our leaders.
On Feb. 9, PIRGIM will release The Right Track: Building a 21st Century High Speed Rail System for America, a major national research report quantifying the public interest benefits of high speed rail.
The Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM) is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.
