With the future of Wisconsin's high-speed rail line in limbo, New York Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo is asking the federal government to redirect the funding to his own state.
Cuomo wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood requesting the funding to connect cities like Toronto, Montreal and New York City.
""High-speed rail could be the 21st century Erie Canal for New York state and help rebuild Upstate New York's economy,"" Cuomo wrote. ""Now is the moment to build.""
Cuomo said unlike in states like Wisconsin and Ohio, where incoming administrations are preventing the implementation of federal rail projects, his administration would see the project through.
Although Gov. Jim Doyle is a supporter of the high-speed rail line, he asked the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to stop construction on the project Thursday.
The unexpected motion came less than a week after his administration signed an under-the-radar deal with the federal government to lock in federal funding for the project, which drew heavy criticism from Republicans statewide.
Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker said in a statement he would do everything in his power as governor to take legal action against the train project.
In the last gubernatorial debate, Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Mayor and former Democratic candidate for governor, warned the funds allocated to Wisconsin would be redirected to another state if Walker refused to build the rail line.
As the numbers stand, New York will receive $151 million for rail construction from the federal government, a fraction of the $810 million originally allotted to Wisconsin.
