Obama Administration's Investment in Rail Will Create Jobs and Livable Communities

Washington, D.C., January 28, 2010 - President Barack Obama's announcement today of $8 billion in high-speed and intercity rail grants will help rebalance the country's transportation system while putting people back to work, according to OneRail, a coalition advocating for greater investment in freight and passenger rail.

"The President's announcement that the federal government will invest in 13 rail corridors and rail projects in 31 states will generate immediate gains in goodpaying jobs," said Anne Canby, president of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP), a founding member of OneRail. "Investment in rail will create jobs not only in those corridors, but around the nation as American companies develop, build, and operate systems that will reduce energy consumption, mitigate air pollution, enhance the reliability of passenger and freight rail, and create more livable communities."

The White House announced that the funding for high-speed and intercity passenger rail is expected to create or save tens of thousands of jobs, improve the reliability of freight and passenger rail (particularly on shared-use corridors) and enhance the livability of American communities by providing more choices in transportation.

OneRail also announced today that the United Transportation Union (UTU) and Transportation Communications International Union/IAM (TCU) have joined the coalition. The unions represent more than 175,000 railroad, bus, airport, trucking, and transit workers in the United States and Canada.

OneRail's members include: the American Public Transportation Association, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Amtrak, Association of American Railroads, National Association of Railroad Passengers, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Railway Supply Institute, States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, Transportation Communications International Union/IAM, and United Transportation Union.

About OneRail

The OneRail coalition supports additional investment in the nation's rail infrastructure to create American jobs, de-congest chokepoints, put more freight and passengers on fuel efficient trains, and reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions.