Sacramento Bee -- The Swarm

Good news for California high-speed rail advocates.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that $1.195 billion in high-speed rail funds originally designated for Wisconsin and Ohio will be redirected to other states eager to develop high-speed rail corridors across the United States.

Wisconsin had stopped work on its high-speed rail project and newly elected governors in Wisconsin and Ohio have said they will reject federal high-speed rail money. Their deliberate misfortune is California's gain.

So, the $1.195 billion originally designated for Wisconsin and Ohio will now go to 14 other states. California gets the bulk, up to $624 million. California already had received more than $3 billion in money from the federal government for high-speed rail.

California voters in November 2008 approved a $10 billion bond for high-speed rail, a big reason why California has received more federal high-speed rail money than any other state.