U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will join Vermont's top politicians at the Amtrak Train Station in Brattleboro Friday morning.

Transportation officials from around New England have visions of a high-speed rail network, but on Monday they got a dose of reality. The Obama administration has eight billion dollars for trains - and demands for 13 times more money from 40 different states.

Officials say one of the passenger trains serving Vermont should get to New York an hour faster, if New England wins federal grants. They also want to re-establish passenger rail service between Burlington and New York and begin to restore the rail line that once connected Montreal and Boston.