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Last week, the US High Speed Rail Association (US HSR) held High Speed Rail 2010 in Orlando, Fla. The event drew more than 300 attendees, including representatives from foreign high-speed rail agencies, 40-plus domestic and international companies specializing in high-speed products, and a handful of congressional leaders and high-speed rail officials.

Among the conference highlights, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) spoke at a luncheon, calling on business leaders to provide private funding for high-speed rail projects to supplement federal stimulus dollars. He also asked that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Federal Railroad Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation set procurement procedures and national standards for high-speed construction and logistics — such as track, signaling and rail-car standards — to be followed by all states.

Nazih Haddad, chief operating officer of the newly formed Florida Rail Enterprise, spoke about Florida’s procurement procedures for the Tampa-Orlando project, which received $1.25 billion in high-speed stimulus funds. FDOT still is working with the FRA to review details of the project but hopes to have a more solidified plan available in the next six months.

Other speakers included Reps. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Cathy Castor (D-Fla.), who voiced their support for high-speed rail in Florida and across the country

US HSR is a non-profit organization that aims to advance a state-of-the-art national high-speed rail network. The association’s vision includes a national HSR Express system consisting of dedicated track, advanced control systems, multi-modal train stations and 220 mph service.

The association is planning to host a CEO roundtable in Miami in April to discuss creating public-private partnerships to develop a $100 billion fund that would help finance HSR systems throughout the country.