By Raju Chebium and Maureen Groppe, Journal & Courier, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON -- It's a happy time for train fans.
Thrilled with the $8 billion that President Barack Obama and Congress have set aside this year for high-speed rail, advocates say the U.S. can finally begin catching up to Europe and Asia, where blasting-quick train travel has been a reality for decades.
"This is the first time that a president has gotten this involved in railroad expansion since Abraham Lincoln," said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. "This is a huge, huge step in the right direction."
Harnish's group has been pushing for years for fast, frequent and dependable train service connecting the Midwest.
The proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative designates Chicago as the hub with spokes radiating out through nine states, including one through Lafayette and Indianapolis that ends in Cincinnati. The hope is that a trip from downtown Indianapolis to downtown Chicago would take two hours.