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High-speed rail is just one of the successes resulting from the investment of $100 billion in science, technology, and innovation projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), according to Vice President Joe Biden. On Aug. 24, Biden released a new report, The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy Through Innovation, which demonstrated how ARRA is helping accelerate significant advances that will cut costs for consumers, save lives, and help keep America competitive in the 21st-century economy.

The report notes that, prior to ARRA, the U.S. had less than 500 miles of high-speed rail operating at speeds far slower than other countries such as China, Japan, and France. It points to “major metropolitan corridors stretching from 100 to 600 miles that are comparable to corridors around the world where high-speed rail has proven to be a successful addition to transportation networks.”

The $8 billion in high-speed rail funding included in ARRA supports strategic investments that will ultimately result in new high-speed rail corridors and will upgrade thousands of miles of existing track and services, laying the groundwork for future high-speed rail services. The report cites examples such as the Aug. 11, 2010, ground breaking for the Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco, the northern terminus for California’s high-speed rail project; 808 route miles of track improvements or new high-speed rail track, with 364 route miles operating at speeds of up to 110 mph and 84 route miles operating at speeds of up to 168 mph; and 18 percent better trip times, saving an estimated 3.8 million hours for travelers annually.

“From the beginning, we have been a nation of discovery and innovation—and today we continue in that tradition as Recovery Act investments pave the way for game-changing breakthroughs in transportation, energy, and medical research,” Biden said.

“We’re planting the seeds of innovation, but private companies and the nation’s top researchers are helping them grow: launching entire new industries, transforming our economy, and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the process,” he said, adding: “The future of transportation in the U.S. will also benefit from better rail travel.”

The report is available online at the White House web site.

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