This is almost a day old now, but hey, us transit lovers are used to things taking a bit longer than usual, am I right??  (Ah, how I love self-flagellation.  Who needs enemies when you have yourself?).

Just days after receiving word that Atlanta would receive a lot of federal cash for its downtown streetcar, the state learned that it would be receiving $4.1 million to develop high-speed rail between Atlanta and Charlotte.  It seems like for all of Atlanta (and Georgia’s) mistakes in getting their railroady fingers on the fed’s transit money as of late, Atlanta’s location as a regional hub makes it sorta hard to ignore.

From the AJC…

North Carolina has invested heavily in rail programs over the past two decades, and in January, it won a $545 million grant to build high-speed rail. Florida has invested, too, and also won a $1.25 billion construction grant to partially fund a line from Tampa to Orlando. This week, the Obama administration will award Florida an additional $800 million for the line, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

[U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood] added, “Whoever gets elected governor will be getting a phone call from me, really trying to figure out if Georgia’s going to be in the mix on high-speed intercity rail. They should be. They’re an important region of the country. We want them to be, but it’s going to take extraordinary leadership from the state.”