State departments of transportation today received federal funds for high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects worth nearly $80 million.

"State departments of transportation are encouraged by this initial release of Recovery funds for high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects," said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. "A total of 31 states and the District of Columbia will share a portion of the unprecedented $8 billion in Recovery Act funds. Our DOTs are ready to put these investments and thousands of people to work today, building a passenger rail system America will use for generations," Horsley said.

The U.S. DOT announced that Florida DOT received $66.6 million, which will be used for program management and preliminary engineering on the planned 168 mph high-speed rail service between Tampa and Orlando. The California department of transportation (Caltrans) received $6.2 million for track relocation work on the Capitol Corridor route connecting San Francisco and Sacramento. The Wisconsin DOT will use the $5.7 million it received for environmental assessments for new stations planned on the route between Milwaukee and Madison. The New York DOT received $1 million for planning projects to improve service on the Empire Corridor in New York State, and the New Mexico DOT received $100,000 for the creation of that state's first-ever rail plan.

The Chairman of AASHTO's Standing Committee on Rail Transportation, North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti, said, "States have and will continue to work with the FRA to move the program forward as quickly as possible." "We're building a 21st century transportation system and that's going to require strong partnerships on both the state and federal level." The North Carolina Department of Transportation is slated to receive $520 million in Recovery Act grants for its high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects.