President Barack Obama wants the United States to join other industrialized countries in having an extensive high-speed rail system. The president has unveiled his plan to accelerate the development of high-speed rail in the U.S.
奥巴马总统希望美国像其他工业化国家那样开发一套广阔的高速铁路系统。奥巴马总统星期四公布了一个在美国加速发展高速铁路的计划。
President Obama says high-speed rail could do for America what it is already doing for other countries, including China and Spain.
奥巴马总统指出，高速铁路可以给美国带来好处，就像中国和西班牙等国家已经做到的那样。
"A high-speed line between Madrid and Seville is so successful that more people travel between those cities by rail than by car and airplane combined. China, where service began just two years ago, may have more miles of high-speed rail service than any other country just five years from now," he said.
他说：“从马德里到塞维尔的高速铁路是如此成功，在这两个城市之间坐火车旅行的人数比开车和坐飞机的人数加在一块儿还要多。在中国，高速铁路服务只是在两年前才开始的，可是在今后的5年中，中国高速铁路的服务里程数可能比其他任何国家都要长。”
High-speed rail only serves America's Northeast corridor, between Washington, D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. But plans are under way to extend the rapid transit to other areas of the country.
美国只在东北走廊有一条高速铁路线，从首都华盛顿到麻萨诸塞州的波士顿。不过，根据拟议中的计划，美国将把高速铁路系统扩展到全国其他地区。
Before leaving for Latin America, Mr. Obama outlined his two-part strategy for accelerating those plans.
奥巴马总统在启程前往拉丁美洲访问、出席第五届美洲峰会之前公布了有关计划。他表示，加速实施高铁计划的战略分为两部分。
"Improving our existing rail lines, to make current train service faster, but also identifying potential corridors for the creation of world-class high-speed rail," he said.
他说：“既要改善我们现存的铁路线，使目前的列车服务更加快捷；也要确定潜在的通道，以建成世界级的高速铁路。”
Congress included $8 billion for rail development in the economic stimulus legislation it passed in February. Mr. Obama is including another $5 billion for high-speed rail in his federal budget.
美国国会2月份通过的经济刺激计划包涵了80亿美元用于铁路建设的资金。奥巴马总统在他提出的联邦预算中又为高速铁路追加了50亿美元。
High-speed rail has had mixed political support in the past. But President Obama says it could strengthen the U.S. economy, in addition to improving the country's transportation system. He says the United States should not be left behind while other nations are moving ahead with high-speed rail.
在过去，政界人士对于高速铁路的支持一直起伏不定。然而奥巴马总统指出，高速铁路除了有利于改善美国的交通运输系统之外还能加强美国经济。他表示，在其他国家都在大力发展高速铁路的时候，美国不应当落在后面。
"So it is being done. It is just not being done here. There is no reason why we cannot do this. This is America. There is no reason why the future of travel should lie somewhere else, beyond our borders," he said.
他说：“也就是说其他国家都在这么做，只是美国还没有这么做。没有理由说我们做不到。这是美国。没有理由说旅行的未来只属于其他国家，不属于美国。”
The president was joined at the announcement by Vice President Joe Biden, who, in 35 years as a U.S. Senator, is estimated to have taken almost 8,000 rail trips between Washington and his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
在奥巴马总统宣布他的高速铁路计划的时候，副总统拜登也在一旁。在拜登担任国会参议员的35年中，他总是乘坐火车往返于首都华盛顿和他的家乡德拉瓦州威尔明顿之间，估计他总共坐了8千次火车。 |