California High-Speed Passenger Rail System to Receive over $2.3 Billion in Funding through Recovery act

Oakland, CA – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee applauded the announcement by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden that the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding $8 billion to states across the country to develop America’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. The State of California will receive over $2.3 billion for the California High-Speed Passenger Rail System, of which $23 million will go to support the Oakland to Sacramento corridor of the project.

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), these dollars represent an historic investment in the country’s transportation infrastructure, which will help create jobs and transform travel in America.  The announcement is one of a number of job initiatives the President will lay out in the coming weeks that follow up on the continued commitment to job creation he discussed in last night’s State of the Union Address. Congresswoman Lee along with her colleagues from the California delegation fought to ensure that the California High-Speed Rail Project received these much needed funds.

“The state of California’s has put a lot of time, effort and planning into this statewide high-speed rail system. Now is the time to upgrade our passenger rail systems,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA). “This project will help alleviate traffic, help our environment, strengthen our local governments and provide much needed jobs to the people of California.

“This groundbreaking $8 billion investment will create or save tens of thousands of jobs in California and across the country. I applaud the administration for this bold step to invest in the infrastructure of our country.”
 
To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.

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