Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club recently, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed high-speed rail, Detroit's bus crisis, and the economic future of the area.
"'Michigan's economic picture has begun to brighten a bit,' he told the audience of 225 people. 'The pace of job losses has slowed, efforts to stabilize many low-income neighborhoods are under way, and new home-building permits are in the rise in the southeastern part of the state.'
LaHood also referenced the proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, an effort by Michigan and Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota to develop a high-speed rail network that would include a Detroit-to-Chicago link as one of is primary elements.
'(High-speed rail) is another choice for Americans,' he told the audience of 225 people. 'High speed rail is not competition for cars.'"
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