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Last Friday, officials from the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX Corp., as well as other state and federal officials, held a meeting in Washington, D.C., to renew efforts to advance high-speed rail plans in New York.

New York is set to receive $151 million in high-speed stimulus funds to begin building a dedicated third track for passenger-rail service from Buffalo to Albany. However, the state is at odds with CSX Transportation, which owns the right of way for the proposed Empire Corridor. The parties differ on train speeds and how far the dedicated passenger track should be positioned from a freight line.

During Friday’s meeting, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reaffirmed his commitment to bring high-speed rail to New York and said Deputy Federal Railroad Administrator Karen Rae will begin to play a larger role in the project to help resolve the issues. Up until last year, Rae served as the deputy commissioner of policy and planning for the New York DOT.