Free Republic

As Barack Obama was exiting the House Chamber at the conclusion of last night’s State of the Union address, a very interesting exchange was captured on camera between the President and Republican John Mica (FL-7), Chairman of the Transportation Committee. Mica can be seen in the middle of a group of Democrat lawmakers clamoring for Obama’s autograph, standing next to Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA20), a huge high speed rail supporter who’s lobbying hard for the project in California. As Obama approaches Mica, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to Obama’s immediate right and Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) directly behind him,...

NORFOLK Months before signing legal documents assuring federal officials they could build light rail for $232 million, Hampton Roads Transit leaders knew it would actually cost tens of millions of dollars more, a new state investigation reveals. In fact, HRT senior officials maintained a separate, internal accounting of light rail costs that was intentionally kept “secret” from government entities footing the bills, documents show.

Congressional sources say the Obama administration is taking $1.2 billion in high-speed rail money away from Ohio and Wisconsin and awarding it to projects in other states. Wisconsin can keep only a fraction of the $810 million it won in federal high-speed rail money, while the rest will help fund train lines in California, Florida, Illinois and other states, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday. Governor-elect Scott Walker had vowed to kill the planned 110-mph Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger train route that was to be funded with Wisconsin's share. Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich had issued a similar promise for a planned...

The Obama administration will take away high-speed-rail stimulus money originally awarded to Wisconsin and Ohio after their incoming Republican governors indicated that they wouldn’t continue with the projects.

Willie Nelson Will Likely Go to Jail for Pot Bust, Expert SaysBy Hollie McKay Published November 29, 2010 FoxNews.com Willie Nelson was arrested in Sierra Blanca, Texas on Friday for possession of six ounces of pot. As a result, the country music legend faces as many as two years behind bars. “If the Texas prosecutors do not reduce the charges, and the marijuana's weight is indeed six ounces, then he is dealing with felony and a potential minimum of 180 days in a county jail and a maximum of two years, with a $10,000 fine,” explained former California-based prosecutor, Robin...

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey owes the federal government more than $271 million after canceling a rail tunnel connecting the state with New York, according to a debt notice obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The letter from the Federal Transit Administration's chief financial officer to NJ Transit's executive director demands payment of $271,101,291 by Dec. 24. It's money the government wants New Jersey to repay for work done on the Hudson River tunnel before Republican Gov. Chris Christie terminated the project. The notification follows a warning letter earlier this month estimating the charges. "FTA demands payment in full within...

<p>SIERRA BLANCA, Texas -- A U.S. Border Patrol spokesman says country singer Willie Nelson was charged with marijuana possession after 6 ounces was found aboard his tour bus in Texas.</p> <p>Patrol spokesman Bill Brooks says the bus pulled into the Sierra Blanca, Texas, checkpoint about 9 a.m. Friday. Brooks says an officer smelled pot when a door was opened and a search turned up marijuana.</p>

Wasting no time after a victorious midterm election, GOP Congressional leaders who promised to slash spending are looking to make an example out of the nation's priciest public works project: California's $43 billion high-speed railroad. A coalition of 27 House Republicans, led by the ranking member of the committee that controls spending, wants to yank $2 billion in stimulus funds promised to California to kick start the massive project. U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, last week introduced the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Rescission Act," which would return the final $12 billion in unspent and uncommitted stimulus funds to the U.S....

California's Central Valley To Be First Section Of California's High Speed Rail System The first section will be Merced-to-Fresno or Fresno-to-Bakersfield The bill for the first section will be $4.3 Billion (with "B") and will be a dollar for dollar match with state funds. Trains will travel at speeds of 220 miles per hour, meaning you will get from Merced to Fresno or Fresno to Bakersfield really faaaaast! The trip from Merced to Fresno by car takes 59 minutes. With the new high speed rail system you will be able to make the trip in about 15 minutes - once...

Thousands of Tube passengers were trapped underground in packed, airless conditions for two hours as a power failure brought rush-hour trains to a stand-still. Around 2,400 passengers were forced to walk for 20 minutes along the track of the Jubilee Line. Some were left traumatised by the incident and video footage taken by a commuter showed one man in an oxygen mask being treated by paramedics at St John's Wood station. Five Tube trains were caught in the chaos - three between Baker Street and St John's Wood, the fourth at Swiss Cottage, and the fifth at Westminster. Commuters on...

In Delaware, 50 union workers, including 20 Electrical Workers (IBEW) members are at work and paying their bills and mortgages thanks to economic recovery money that is also saving Amtrak millions of dollars in new equipment.Those jobs are part of the as many as 3.3 million jobs that President Obama’s  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act saved or created since it was signed into law in February 2009. In the three months prior to passage of the legislation, the nation had lost 2.2 million jobs–more than 8 million jobs disappeared during the Bush administration. The Delaware workers are converting old and abandoned dining...

Washington, DC, September 29, 2010—A new report, Infrastructure Construction and Equipment Finance Opportunities, issued by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (Foundation), provides an outlook on infrastructure construction and offers a review of the current situation as well as an analysis of future trends. In addition, the study discusses current legislation or policies that may impact infrastructure construction, provides insight into the impact of infrastructure construction on equipment demand, and examines the opportunities this landscape presents for equipment finance. The study was conducted at the request of the Foundation by IHS Global Insight, a global economic and financial forecasting company....

The city of Ramsey needs congressional help to get $3.5 million in federal funds to help build a new passenger rail station for the Northstar Commuter Rail service, a necessary component of a 400-acre transit-oriented commercial development. To finance the rail station, the city first applied unsuccessfully for $1.4 million in federal transit funds. Officials said the $1.4 million funding request was not in Sixth District Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann’s final list of appropriations. They are soliciting her support for this latest request of $3.5 million they hope will be part of the next authorization bill. “She was more than happy...

Southwest Jiaotong University in China is developing a low pressure underground tubes and maglev train which will travel at 1,000 kilometers per hour (600 mph). This is double the speed of current maglev trains. According to Shen Zhiyun, academic member of CAS and CAE, China should target the development of high-speed ground transportation with 600 to 1,000 kilometers per hour which should be in operation between 2020 and 2030.

The death of Metra executive director Philip Pagano, struck by a Metra train this morning, "appears to be a suicide," the McHenry County coroner says. Pagano -- under investigation for financial irregularities -- appeared to walk in front of the train just west of Terra Cotta Road on Hillside Road in Crystal Lake at about 8:10 a.m., sources say.

CHICAGO (AP) - The $8 billion in stimulus cash awarded to 13 high-speed rail corridors across the country may seem like a windfall, but there's a catch. The money isn't enough to finish any of the major projects. State coffers are dry and federal spending is being cut back. So, it's unclear who will pay the rest of the multi-billion dollar bill.

By Mary Ann Ford | mford@pantagraph.com | Posted: Friday, January 29, 2010 9:00 pm | (10) Comments Font Size: Default font size Larger font size NORMAL — Not everyone at Friday’s news conference supported spending $8 billion for high-speed rail. Several people gathered at the Amtrak station held signs and even made negative comments while Sen. Dick Durbin was speaking. They questioned projections of economic growth from high-speed rail spending and the wisdom of spending so much money in the face of mounting state and federal budget deficits. “I’m really upset,” said Jeff Strange of Bloomington. While officials say the...

Critics are pointing to the $54 million in federal stimulus money for the California Wine Train as “silly and short sighted,” and a waste of money. Sixteen times a week, the Wine Train transports tourists from Napa to St. Helena aboard restored dining cars. A champagne dinner costs $129. About 125,000 people ride the train each year. At issue is a complicated story about flood control in Napa. Voters agreed to tax themselves for 20 years to cover the cost of a water diversion project. However, the cost went up dramatically when the owner of the Wine Train, Vincent DeDemenico,...

President Obama says he will come back to Florida and ride the new high speed rail train connecting Tampa and Orlando once it's completed. Florida is just one of the states, along with California and Illinois, receiving billions in Recovery Act money for the development of a high speed rail line. Joining the President in the announcement was long time supporter of the passenger rail system Vice President Joe Biden. The Vice President joked he was very familiar with riding trains having commuted daily between Wilmington, Delaware and Washington, DC on Amtrak during his many years in the Senate.

A 33-YEAR-OLD man has come off second best after trying to karate chop a moving train at Eagle Junction station last night. A Queensland Rail spokesperson said the man failed to jump onto the moving train about 8.10pm, injuring his head and falling back onto the platform. Police said the man tried to karate chop the train and his leg fell between the train and the platform.