The Federal Railroad Administration announced in an interview this week that the Midwest and California are leading the competition for $8 billion dollars of stimulus funding for high speed rail plans.

Eight Midwest states have collaborated on a plan for a new high speed rail system in the Midwest which will update three existing routes, placing Chicago as the network hub. This rail plan is one of the most developed of the plans to be submitted to the FRA, with initial deadlines for plan applications set in early July. Read the article in Businessweek to learn more about FRA guidelines and other regions’ high speed rail plans.