Rail official: Upgraded service will come slowly

CHICAGO — The Obama administration’s top railroad official says Americans shouldn’t expect to see networks of souped-up, bullet-fast trains after the $8 billion set aside in the federal stimulus bill for high-speed rail is finally spent.

But Federal Railroad Administration head Joseph Szabo said in prepared remarks for an industry conference Friday in Chicago that the White House is committed to upgrading train service, adding that the stimulus cash is just a down payment on what he dubbed “a rail renaissance.”

“Change will happen incrementally,” he said. “High-speed rail is not a sprint. It’s a marathon you need to adapt your business models to.”

The former Chicago Metra crewman noted that U.S. spending should be put in perspective of the huge amounts of money some European and Asian nations have spent on high-speed systems. He singled out Spain, saying it’s devoted more than $140 billion to its networks.

Szabo said 40 states have submitted a total of 278 proposals worth more than $100 billion asking for a cut of the $8 billion in stimulus money, with some initial decisions on who will win grants expected soon.

A proposed high-speed rail network in the Midwest and a California plan appear to be among the front-runners for stimulus cash.

The eight-state Midwest project foresees upgrading existing routes so trains could travel 110 mph — up from top speeds of just 80 mph. California is among the few states hoping to build a system where trains could at least approach bullet-like speeds of 200 miles per hour.

One focus, Szabo said, has to be on reducing logjams on tracks so trains won’t have to slow to a crawl in and around big cities.

“What good is it if you travel from St. Louis to near Chicago at 150 mph, and then go 10 mph into Chicago for the last 30 miles?” he said.

He also suggested some projects for new high-speed rail lines and networks may be too ambitious.

“We need to get real on some of the high-speed rail proposals,” Szabo said without naming any.

At the same time, Szabo said he understood that one way to ensure President Barack Obama’s emphasis on rail would have staying power, even after he leaves office, would be to back projects that create a degree of public excitement.

“The worst thing we can do is to spread the money around so thin that there isn’t something exciting that is achieved,” he said during a question and answer session with conference participants. He didn’t provide an example.