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Congress has been interested in high speed rail (HSR) since the 1960s, but the provision of $8 billion for intercity passenger rail and high speed rail projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5), enacted in February 2009, has catalyzed enthusiasm for high speed rail in Congress and the nation. One consequence has been a proposed authorization of $50 billion for intercity passenger rail development (including high speed rail) as part of new surface transportation authorization legislation. There have been other periods of interest in HSR on the part of Congress and various states over the past few decades; they largely faded in the face of obstacles such as the high cost of HSR and policies supporting other modes of transportation. Comparing the costs and benefits of investing in one mode versus another is typically not a part of transportation funding decisions. There are two approaches to HSR: improving existing tracks and signaling to allow trains to travel somewhat faster, typically to as much as 110 miles per hour (mph), generally on track shared with freight trains; and building new tracks dedicated exclusively to high speed passenger rail service, to allow trains to travel at speeds of ...