High-speed rail planned at a snail's pace

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BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: Amtrak has unveiled a plan for a high-speed rail line along the East Coast from Boston all the way to Washington . It would require new tracks, new tunnels, new trains. The plan would take 30 years and would require $117 billion. There is not a cent of funding in place, and it wouldn't begin until 2015 .

BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: In ironic news tonight, the Chinese have announced that a new high-speed train there has set a new speed record, 258 miles an hour. China , by the way, has 4300 miles of high speed rail line . In two more years, they'll have 8,000 miles of high speed rail line .

High-speed rail planned at a snail's pace

Amtrak on Wednesday announced a 30-year plan for a high-speed rail line from Boston to Washington; in eastern China, a high-speed train set a new speed record during its trial service. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

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