American rail campaigners are urging people to contact their senators and representatives to support President President Barack Obama’s plans for greater investment in American railways.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers is delighted with Mr Obama’s call for £30 billion more in federal investment to create good jobs rebuilding America’s “roads, rails and runways”.

“We’re going to lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways – enough to stretch coast to coast,” the President told a large crowd at Milwaukee on 3 September.

“We’re going to continue our strategy to build a national high-speed rail network that reduces congestion and travel times and reduces harmful emissions.”

He said he wanted to build on the momentum created by public support for the high-speed rail programme in the Recovery Act.

The individual states responded to the plan to expand the railways by requesting £36 billion – much more than the £5 billion made available by the federal government in 2009 for 13 new high-speed rail corridors.

In its message to rail campaigners, NARP said: “While Congressional action is unlikely before the 2 November election, it is important to tell your senators and representative, that you want to see the President’s rail investment plans enacted."