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President Obama and Congress should establish a Cabinet-level working group to spearhead the development of the United States’ high-speed rail program, American High Speed Rail Alliance (AHSRA) President Eric Peterson said during a speech for the University of Minnesota Transportation Study Center’s Annual Research Conference being held this week in St. Paul. The 500 attendees include transportation researchers, government officials and industry leaders.

“This technology and transportation facility has the potential to dramatically change the way this nation moves people and goods,” he said. “It will have incredible and unimaginably terrific impacts that could affect all areas of our nation, its people and its enterprise.”

AHSRA has sent a letter to Congressional leaders and the president requesting that the new office coordinate the work of the departments of transportation, energy, commerce, labor, housing and urban development, homeland security and defense, as well as the Office of Management and Budget, and Environmental Protection Agency. All of the departments could benefit from a robust national high-speed rail network, Peterson said.