Alabama joined with six other southeastern states in a coalition announced last week to coordinate efforts to develop high-speed rail transportation in the Southeast.

The coalition was formed at a Southeast High-Speed Rail Transportation Summit hosted by the Georgia Department of Transportation in Atlanta. Representatives from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee participated in the summit to accelerate the pace at which the southeast embraces high-speed, intercity rail connectivity.

At the summit, state representatives discussed funding challenges each is facing, but the group was encouraged by the funding made available by the current federal administration for states that have high-speed rail plans.

“This is a seismic shift in the way this country looks at rail,” said commissioner Sarah Nuckles of the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission. “Today this group took a momentous leap forward; by acting as a coalition we have acknowledged the importance rail has in our national future. This hails back to the significance rail had so many years ago.”

The group laid out several primary objectives which included the development of a comprehensive vision and regional service plan.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is coordinating Alabama’s high-speed rail development efforts along with the Alabama Department of Transportation.