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Updated 11/06/2010 09:47 AM

Cuomo Asks Feds For $1.2B For High-Speed Rail Projects

By: NY1 News

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Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo is asking the federal government for money for high-speed rail projects.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Cuomo is requesting $1.2 billion in high-speed rail money be redirected to New York if newly-elected Republican governors in Ohio and Wisconsin reject their own states' funds.

Cuomo says high-speed rail could be the 21st century equivalent of the Erie Canal and that New York State is ready to spend the money now as a boost to the economy.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation would not comment on Cuomo's request, but said there is an "incredible demand" for high-speed rail dollars around the country.

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