Ground to air: Don’t fight high speed trains

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had a “little bit of political advice” for the airline industry Tuesday.

“Don’t be against high speed rail,” LaHood said. “It’s coming to America. This is the President’s vision, this is the Vice President’s vision, this is America’s vision. We’re going to get into the high speed rail business.’’

“People want alternatives,’’ he said. “People are still going to fly, but we need alternatives. So get with the program.”

LaHood (pictured at left) made these comments in a Q&A session as he addressed the Federal Aviation Administration’s annual forecasting conference in Washington, D.C. The first questioner wanted to know why the administration was giving $8 billion to high speed rail.