88% of Americans Support High-Speed Rail

The news wasn't all good- that's down from a 94% approval rate last year. From HNTB's press release:

"'The time has come for high-speed rail,' said Peter Gertler, HNTB high-speed rail services chair. 'Stimulus money is seeding initial projects. It'll be up to those of us in the industry – working in partnership with transportation agencies and elected officials – to keep up the momentum.'

Gertler said such advocacy efforts are crucial at a time general excitement about high-speed rail has slowed. Americans were far more likely to choose high-speed rail over driving or flying for a trip to a city in their region in March 2009 than February 2010 (54 percent versus 38 percent).

'The pain we all felt when gasoline was hovering near $4 a gallon has receded,' Gertler said. 'Yet we can't stand by for the next crisis to hit to address the underlying issues of congestion and our dependency on limited fossil fuels.'

While general interest may have slowed, there's still a great deal of support for passenger rail enhancements overall. More than four in five (83 percent) Americans agree public transit and high-speed rail infrastructure should receive a larger share of federal funding than they do now."