Has anyone really asked for high speed rail? Anyone other than politicians seeking money, that is?

Thank you, Representative Slaughter, for having the foresight and gumption to secure funds for improving rail service on the Empire Corridor between Albany and Buffalo.
Many look upon the proposal as just a way to improve rail transit time to Albany, ignoring, if the knew it, the fact the Albany-Buffalo line is just one segment in the route between New York and Chicago and any improvement to that segment will reduce the travel time on the through trains to Chicago, New York City, Boston, and Toronto, and connections made at those cities for trains to the Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and to the West Coast. Check out what the State of Ohio is doing with passenger rail, which is part of the line from NYC via Rochester to Chicago. Rochester already has eight Amtrak trains daily, with the ridership increasing daily and the new Amtrak Station will at last be worthy of welcoming travelers to the City. Moreover, jobs will be created to build the new station and the dedicated passenger rail line on the CSX rights-of-way and bridges remaining when Conrail removed two tracks of the former New York Central four-track Water Level Route. Much negotiation by Representative Slaughter and planning by NYSDOT will be required to secure the necessary space from CSX. She has wisely secured the funds to pay for that.

There was much competition for the hi-speed money and Representative Slaughter's constituents should be thankful the area got what appears to be more than many others.