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A future “jobs” stimulus bill and the upcoming surface transportation authorization must include “substantial funding and investment incentives” to make high-speed rail a reality in the United States, according to a press release issued March 4 by the American High Speed Rail Alliance (AHSRA).

Industry, state and federal government representatives estimate that the recently awarded $8 billion in high-speed rail stimulus funding will create or retain up to 160,000 jobs during the next two years. And during the next two decades, more than $800 billion will be invested to design, build and operate high-speed passenger-rail service in at least 13 key corridors throughout the country, AHSRA said.

The investment would support more than 1 million positions, ranging from consultants, engineers and technicians who will design and build the system to the train crews and systems managers who will operate the built-out high-speed networks.

But, because the United States’ recent experience with passenger rail is limited and experience with high-speed rail is almost non-existent, industry stakeholders need to identify the type of workforce required, then recruit and train that workforce, the alliance said. A working group representing a wide range of transportation interests, including AHSRA, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Council of University Transportation Centers, has created a working group to identify the skill and knowledge requirements for the future transportation workforce, as well as the means and methods to recruit and train them.

AHSRA is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and sustaining a clean and energy-efficient advanced national high-speed rail system in the United States.