Eggs 'n' Issues February 2010

High-speed rail service – which operates at speeds of 125 mph and faster depending on the track – has been successful overseas in Asia and Europe, but to this point, has seen little development in the United States. The lure of stimulus money, however, seems to have been a game-changer, with 45 applications from 24 states for a total of $50 billion in long-term, high-speed rail corridor projects.

What does this mean for Erie County? Without a doubt, the development of high-speed rail in the Erie corridor would benefit local employers, including small and medium-sized companies. But a proposed rail line between Buffalo and Cleveland via Erie – linking Chicago and the Midwest to metropolitan areas on the East Coast – is not a designated corridor for high-speed rail/improved passenger rail funding. Local officials and the state’s D.C. delegation, however, continue to hope that the Buffalo-Erie-Cleveland corridor can receive its share of stimulus funding to upgrade and expand high-speed passenger rail serving northwest Pennsylvania.

Join us for breakfast as Kyle Foust speaks about the importance of high-speed rail service in the region, as well as the implications for economic development.

Registration: 7:45 a.m.