President Proposes High Speed Rail In Oklahoma

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa and Oklahoma City have been identified as part of ten major corridors identified by President Barak Obama for high speed rail travel.

Thursday, the president called for the U.S. to move to a system of high speed rail travel.

The president allocated $8 billion in the $787 billion economic stimulus spending package for a start on establishing high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

Read the White House blog on high speed rail service.

In a White House news release, the South Central corridor includes Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Little Rock.

"My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America. We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come," said President Obama. "A major new high-speed rail line will generate many thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees and increased economic activity in the destinations these trains serve. High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways."

The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration says the term high-speed rail applies to trains traveling more than 90 mph.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.