If you live in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Louisville, Milwaukee or Minneapolis/St. Paul, you just got one step closer to a high-speed rail system that would link those cities in what will be called the Chicago Hub High Speed Rail (or Midwest) Corridor.
According to Environment News Service , a meeting of Midwest governors and rail executives, hosted by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Richard Dailey, has resulted in an agreement that establishes a Midwest steering group to coordinate each state’s individual applications and to lobby the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for funding under the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. President Obama has targeted $8 billion to jump-start a high-speed passenger rail system, along with five years’ worth of $1 billion budget requests.

The President is a fan of high-speed rail. In June 2008, noting that engineers in China were developing a 300-mph train, he told the U.S. Conference of Mayors, “I don’t want to see the fastest train in the world built halfway around the world in Shanghai. I want to see it built right here in the United States of America.”
The U.S. currently has just one high-speed rail system – the Amtrak Acela Express system that connects Boston to Washington, D.C., via New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Acela trains average 68 miles per hour but do reach 150 mph during the trip.
Internationally, trains are considered “high-speed rail” if they reach 125 mph. But the FRA defines express, regional and emerging high-speed rail as three separate entities.
• High-Speed Rail – Express: Frequent, express service between major population centers 200–600 miles apart with intermediate stops. With top speeds of at least 150 mph, these systems are intended to relieve air and highway capacity constraints.
• High-Speed Rail – Regional: Relatively frequent service between major and moderate population centers 100–500 miles apart with some intermediate stops. Top speeds of 110-150 mph, grade-separated, with some dedicated and some shared track. These systems are designed to relieve highway and, to some extent, air capacity constraints.
• Emerging High-Speed Rail: Developing corridors of 100–500 miles with strong potential for future Regional and/or Express service. Top speeds of 90-110 mph on primarily shared track (eventually using positive train control technology) with advanced grade crossing protection or separation. Intended to develop the passenger rail market and provide some relief to other modes.

In April, the FRA released it’s a plan for development of high-speed rail in the U.S., identifying 10 corridors as potential funding targets.
• Northern New England Corridor—Boston, Portland/Auburn, Maine; Montreal, Canada; Springfield, Mass.; and New Haven, Conn.;
• California Corridor—Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego;
• Pacfic Northwest Corridor—Eugene and Portland, Ore.; and Seattle and Vancouver, Wash.;
• South Central Corridor—Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Dallas and San Antonio, Texas;
• Gulf Coast Corridor—Houston, New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.;
• Chicago Hub Corridor—Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Milwaukee and Minneapolis/St. Paul;
• Florida Corridor—Tampa, Orlando and Miami;
• Southeast Corridor—Richmond, Va.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Atlanta; and Jacksonville, Fla.;
• Keystone Corridor—Pittsburgh, Philadelphia; and
• Empire Corridor—Buffalo and Albany, N.Y.
On June 17, the FRA issued interim guidance to applicants covering grant terms, conditions and procedures until final regulations are issued. The agency will evaluate grant proposals for their ability to make trips quicker and more convenient, reduce congestion on highways and at airports, and meet other environmental, energy and safety goals. The FRA plans to begin awarding grants in mid-September.