(KMOV) – High-speed rail is on its way to St. Louis, and the government is spending $1.1 billion to get the job done.
The funds are coming from stimulus money, and will build high-speed rail between St. Louis and Chicago.
But the term “high-speed” can be misleading because while the improvements made will allow trains to go about 100 miles an hour, that’s far less than the 200 miles an hour of other high-speed trains. Currently, trains go about 80 miles an hour.
Some are asking if this is a waste of stimulus money, but some transportation experts say it’s not. One local expert says instead of improving the current infrastructure, building a truly high-speed rail might be a better way to spend stimulus dollars.
Experts say the current plan would only save travelers about an hour in time because there would still be multiple stops along the way.
