On a stop in Fresno today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pushed for high-speed rail in the state.
“High-speed rail in California is about helping to get the California economy moving again, to get unemployment down, to put friends and neighbors to work,” said LaHood. “And implementing high-speed rail in California will do that.”
The section of the rail line between Fresno and Bakersfield, where construction is set to begin later this year, is the only segment of the estimated $100 billion project with secured funding.
“Anytime you do big things, they are always going to be controversial,” said LaHood. “There will always be those who have their objections. Our job is to understand the concerns and work to mitigate those.”
LaHood also stopped at a Siemens rail car manufacturing plant, and is scheduled to meet with state legislators in Sacramento later today.
You can see more stories about high-speed rail at transportationnation.org.
