Just to close the loop on the riveting debate over whether or not Las Vegas will get high speed rail: the answer is no.

Obama spoke on HSR today and, according to Matt Yglesias, in an accompanying press release listed the rail corridors eligible for funding:

—California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)

—Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)

—South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)

—Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, , Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)

—Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville,)

—Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)

—Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)

—Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)

—Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)

—Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor (Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston) to compete for funds for improvements to the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service, and for establishment and upgrades to passenger rail services in other parts of the country.

You mean all that GOP noise over Sen. Harry Reid inserting an $8 billion earmark in the stimulus for HSR to Vegas was utter balderdash? How unexpected.

Labels: politics, transport