White House to dole out $8 billion in rail grants

WASHINGTON: High-speed rail projects in the states of California, Florida and Illinois are among the big winners of $8 billion in grants to be announced yesterday by the White House - the start of what some Democrats tout as a national rail-building program that could rival the interstate highways begun in the 1950s.

Thirteen rail corridors in 31 states received funds. Announced on the heels of the State of the Union speech, the program was touted by the White Hosue as "high-speed rail," but only the California project calls for trains that can exceed the 200 mph (321.85 kph) achieved by some trains in Europe and Asia.

Some of the money will go toward trains with top speeds of 177 kph, while others - such as the $400 million allotted to Ohio to connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati by rail - will go toward trains traveling no faster than 127 kph.