Indiana didn't get the $2.8 billion sought in federal stimulus funds for the Chicago-to-Cleveland high-speed rail route, but it would be wrong to say the door was slammed in the face of that request.

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo preached the gospel of passenger rail service last month at Gary/Chicago International Airport. It was an appropriate setting, because the airport is the site of a planned train station for that Chicago-to-Cleveland route.

The $8 billion in grants announced Jan. 28 "is just the beginning," he said.

"President (Barack) Obama is the first president in 150 years, since Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad, to have vision for rail," Szabo told the crowd packed into the Gary airport's terminal.

The Chicago-to-Cleveland application, Szabo said afterward, "wasn't a failure. On the contrary, we were excited to see the application come in because it's a very important part of the vision for the Midwest regional rail plan."

Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael Reed said INDOT would work with the Federal Rail Administration and others to polish the state's application for that route.

"We were obviously disappointed we did not get selected for the Chicago-to-Cleveland high-speed rail route, but we will continue to pursue that," Reed said.

That's good, because the federal government is finally serious about passenger rail service. Get the funding request in while the getting is good. And make Gary/Chicago International Airport a hub for high-speed rail, along with other forms of air and surface travel.

Your opinion, please

Should the federal government fund a high-speed rail route between Chicago and Cleveland?

Share your thoughts at http://nwi.com/opinion