Washington, D.C. — Following a push by Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, the U.S. House of Representatives passed $10 billion in Federal funding for high-speed passenger rail planning and construction across the country.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff urged Congressional leaders to include at least $10 billion in the budget reconciliation bill to connect the region’s major metropolitan areas and rural communities.
“As this Congress makes historic investments in America’s infrastructure, we should allocate robust resources for high-speed rail necessary to advance the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor, a long-planned project of national significance necessary to connect the fast-growing American Southeast,” Sen. Ossoff wrote.
Planning is currently underway for an intercity rail line between Atlanta and Charlotte with a proposed stop in Athens, Ga.
Sen. Ossoff has also championed a proposed high-speed rail line connecting Atlanta to Savannah with a stop in Macon. This line would extend to Nashville through Northeast Georgia and down to Jacksonville, Fl.
In May, Sen. Ossoff secured a commitment from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to prioritize Southeast rail, specifically noting the existing planning for stops connecting cities across Georgia.
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