"If the US is to remain economically competitive, we must develop high-speed transportation service for our great cities, just as other countries are doing for theirs," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in prepared remarks in a news conference at Penn Station. "A high-speed train serving the Northeast Corridor is the kind of far-sighted project that we need, and completely consistent with New York City's own transportation goals."

Bloomberg added that high-speed service "would also relieve our congested roadways and airports--problems that Secretary Peters and I have long worked on together--and [would] greatly increase our economic productivity. It would also reduce pollution and the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming--a major focus of our city's PlaNYC sustainability agenda."

In a prepared speech, Peters called the announcement "a first step in a process established by Congress to put ideas to paper, and to make concrete proposals for what the future might look like. Imagine traveling by train between New York City and Washington, DC in just two hours or cutting your trip time by 25% between New York City and Boston. Or imagine new passenger rail service on high-speed corridors between other major cities across the country. We want to know if and where it can be done--and we want to know how to make it affordable." She added, "There is growing interest in intercity passenger rail as an alternative to driving and flying, but for it to really work, it must be viable, efficient and competitive."