Tuesday, December 01, 1998 (Washington, DC) CHARLOTTE, N.C.—U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater, joined by Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris, today announced the continuation and expansion of a successful public-private partnership to extend the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor to serve an urban population of 20.6 million persons by the year 2005. To date, the federal government has invested $68 million for rail improvements in this corridor. The states in the corridor have invested $31 million. The corridor would link Washington, D.C., Richmond, Va., and Raleigh, N.C., to Columbia, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla. It would also link Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C., to Spartanburg and Greenville, S.C., to Atlanta and Macon, Ga. "We are committed to flexible choices in shaping our transportation system for the 21st century, and high speed rail will be critical to improving safety, protecting the environment and reducing congestion for millions of Americans," Secretary Slater said. "This corridor is a continuation of the movement across our country to develop high-speed rail service." The extension of the Southeast Corridor will entitle the area to federal funds which will be combined with state and local funds to enable states to enhance highway grade crossing safety. To eliminate grade crossing hazards, the states plan for a mix of grade separations, improvements and closures. The Southeast Corridor states and cities along the route will work with private railroad companies and the federal government to gradually upgrade existing railroad rights-of-way to speeds of 110 miles per hour and greater. Plans are also underway for a new Intermodal Terminal at Five Points in Atlanta to link high speed rail with a regional transportation system. "High speed rail will provide comfortable and reliable travel while relieving congestion in this rapidly growing area," Molitoris said. "This is a very attractive option for travel, and it will create jobs and opportunity in the 21st century." Molitoris said that high-speed trains on the Northeast Corridor have demonstrated how train travel can be safe, reliable, economical and comfortable. Trains on the Northeast Corridor travel at speeds of 125 mph and will ultimately travel at 150 mph on certain segments. Currently, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington are investing in upgrades to existing rail corridors in order to provide improved passenger rail service. Since capital cost can be a major deterrent to reaching truly desirable service levels, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is actively engaged in several public-private partnerships in order to defray implementation costs. Under its Next Generation High Speed Rail Program, the FRA is working with the private sector to develop a high speed non-electric locomotive by the year 2000 as well as new satellite based train control systems and innovative grade crossing protection systems.