In the 11th-hour negotiation, The High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program was cut to $1 billion, a $1.5 billion reduction from the 2010 level. The deal also cut the transit "New Starts" program by $280 million, according to Rick Harnish, Executive Director for the Chicago-based Midwest High Speed Rail Association.
 

According to Harnish, high-speed trains are "the single best investment we can make in our economic future. A $1.5 billion cut is counterproductive to the goals of jumpstarting economic growth and making the U.S. less dependent on expensive oil."

He encouraged those with a stake in the industry to "tell your legislator and senators that cutting HSIPR funding is a big step in the wrong direction. This week, your elected officials in Washington are working out funding levels for the remainder of the current fiscal year--a process whose outcome will have significant impact on investment levels for fiscal 2012 and beyond."  

The association's membership base includes nearly 2,000 individuals, local governments, and corporations, within a goal to persuade local, state and federal governments to implement an aggressive railroad expansion and provide on-going operational support for fast trains throughout the Midwest.

In addition to the construction of new, 220-mph infrastructure on core routes, the association seeks the development of a wide range of intercity train services including extended commuter rail, upgrading existing Amtrak routes to 90 mph or better and fast sleeper trains
 
www.midwesthsr.org/index.php