The good folks at Planetizen have created a news hub for High-Speed Rail:

A New Hub for High-Speed Rail News

With high-speed rail capturing the public’s imagination, Planetizen is pleased to launch a new website dedicated to covering high-speed rail in the United States. HSR News (http://www.hsrnews.com) will be a centralized source of information and objective news coverage of the high-speed rail boom, which has received a significant push from the Obama administration.

On January 28th, 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $8 billion to states across the U.S. to develop a nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. Projects are happening at a breakneck pace across the nation in order to take advantage of stimulus funding, and HSR News will be following every step.

David J. Carol, Market Leader of High-Speed Rail at Parsons Brinkerhoff, helped launch the new site with an editorial explaining “Five Things You Need to Know About High-Speed Rail.” Carol wrote, “Planetizen’s new website, HSR News [will…] focus on key issues relating to implementation of HSR, offering a path through the rhetoric of advocates and opponents and provide a platform to appreciate both the benefits and limitations of this important mode of transportation.”

While HSR News will cover the details of the business side of high-speed rail, the goal of the site is to bring the topic into focus for a national audience. “We saw that the general public is very excited about high-speed rail, and want to know the real story,” said managing editor Tim Halbur. “HSR News will be a place for objective reporting and lively discussion from experts on all sides.” HSR News will also track news about established systems in Spain, China, Korea, Japan and around the world.

HSR News is produced by Planetizen (http://www.planetizen.com), the foremost news and information site for the urban planning, design and development community.

Links: HSR News http://www.hsrnews.com