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Issue: 1122 Date: 2/23/2012
Become A Fan, Like St. Louis Chinese American News
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Amtrak Sets Sights on High Speed Rail Service in St. Louis
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ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - Amtrak customers throughout the Midwest are enjoying train rides of more than 100 miles per hour. The same might be true for St. Louis residents in just a few years. Right now, only customers in Indiana and parts of Michigan are enjoying those high speed trips and shorter commutes. Chicago was recently added to the list of stops.
Riders say the trip can be a little bumpy, but they say they can deal with it. They are getting to their destinations in as little as half the time.
"In Illinois," explained Joseph Szabo of the U.S. Department of Transportation, "the first segment of 100 miles per hour will go into operation later this summer, as construction continues on completing from Joliet to Alton, Illinois. Over the next three years, you're going to see over 80% of Chicago-Detroit and over 80% of Chicago-St. Louis will be operating at speeds of 100 miles per hour."
But, the federal funding has to be there first. If Mitt Romney is elected President, there may be a little tug-of-war between the White House and the Transportation Department. Romney has repeatedly said he will cut funding to Amtrak. As for the current administration, President Obama says he is looking for jobs. His officials say 57,000 permanent positions could come to the Midwest with this project. |
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