NY Times "The administration squandered the money, giving it to dozens and dozens of projects that were marginal at best to spend on slow-speed trains to nowhere."
Mr. Mica said he would like to redirect the rail money to the Northeast corridor, which he described as possibly the only place in the country with enough population density to financially support high-speed train service.
As it turns out, he might just be in luck: several newly elected Republican governors from states that received rail funds have indicated that they don't want the money. Read more at NY Times - A High-Speed Derailment
Highspeed rail is ..."long-term drain on state transportation money," in a state currently crippled by transportation overspending (CA, WI)