The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has allocated nearly $80m to states as part of a multidecade effort to develop a high-speed and intercity passenger rail programme.
Around $66m will be used to develop a 168mph high-speed rail service between Tampa and Orlando, Florida.
The grant is also expected to be used for upgrading the existing passenger rail service throughout the US.
The funding will benefit other projects including $6m for track relocation work in California, $5m for environmental assessments of planned new stations on a route in Wisconsin and $1m for planning projects to improve service on the 468-mile Empire Corridor in New York State.
A total of $100,000 will be used to create a rail plan for the state of New Mexico to link major cities in the south-west.
The US President's $8bn down payment for high-speed rail was announced last year for the development of new, large-scale high-speed rail programmes.
In addition to the fund, another $2.5bn has been allocated to the programme for the 2010 fiscal year.
The programme is also expected to involve works such as track-laying, manufacturing, planning, engineering, rail maintenance and operations.
Related links
US High-Speed Rail Grant Deadline Extended
