Linda Stewart for Orange County Mayor

Click HERE to watch Linda on FOX 35.

President Barack Obama is expected to talk about the high speed rail when he visits Tampa on Thursday, with Vice President Joe Biden. Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart says for a ticket fee of 25 to 30-dollars, you could get into downtown Tampa in one hour. She expects President Barack Obama to make a big announcement regarding stimulus money for the project, "I think there will be a significant amount of money offered to us and I think it will be first phase, it won't be the entire amount."

So instead of getting 2.5-billion dollars to build the rail all the way to Tampa, Stewart believes the project will start with enough money to get part of the rail built from Orlando to Celebration, "As long as we demonstrate that we're using the money efficiently and transparently and that we are getting a job done in the first phase I think the final phases will come right after that."

Stewart and other local lawmakers say there needs to be an alternative means of transportation, to cut down on traffic and the use of fuel, that's why they say the High Speed Rail is so important, "We have to stop getting ourselves out of the road building and we need to get into a more progressive transportation system." The hub would be built at Orlando International Airport. Stewart says High Speed Rail would connect to the future Sunrail, which will be our local commuter rail. Eventually it would also connect with major cities in the country, "The whole connectivity is important that we connect the whole United States with this new type of transportation."
Stewart says High Speed Rail will be funded 80-percent Federal funds and 20-percent private donations.