Faster, more frequent Amtrak trains could be running on Texas tracks in just a few years — and someday soon, bullet trains may zoom across the prairie from a Dallas-Fort Worth hub — after President Barack Obama announced a major commitment Thursday to high-speed rail.

An infusion totaling $8 billion in federal stimulus money and $5 billion from the federal budget over five years will be spent on track upgrades and other improvements in up to 10 corridors across the U.S. beginning this year. Among them is the South Central corridor, with a Fort Worth hub connecting to Austin, San Antonio, and cities in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Trains currently travel 79 mph or less but could be upgraded to 110 mph, officials said.

Planning will also begin in earnest on a long-delayed proposal to connect cities with trains traveling 150 mph or more. The American system would resemble rail lines in China, Japan, Germany and Spain that have revolutionized travel, land use and commuting patterns.

"Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 mph, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination," Obama said at a news conference. "It is happening right now; it’s been happening for decades. The problem is, it’s been happening elsewhere, not here."

Obama’s televised appearance, with Amtrak regular Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at his side, was a historic moment for those who have dreamed that business travelers, college students and others could someday ride on a train from Fort Worth to Austin in perhaps 90 minutes — instead of the three hours, 30 minutes it takes by car or four hours, 20 minutes by Amtrak.

"We have the president’s stamp of approval, which is the first time that’s happened since Eisenhower did the interstates," said Peter LeCody of Texas Rail Advocates, a group that has lobbied for years for better passenger rail service.

Big step forward

High-speed corridors were designated by Congress more than a decade ago. In Texas, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is a key supporter.

But until recently the corridors haven’t received enough funding for anything more than conceptual planning. Obama’s announcement clears the way for more detailed planning of corridors in places such as Texas, Florida, the Chicago region, and Southeast routes through North Carolina and Louisiana.

It’s the second piece of good news for rail fans in six months.

In October, Congress set aside $1.5 billion and urged states and private developers to compete for the funding and develop faster rail lines. On March 20, the Texas Department of Transportation formally requested funds for improvements to the Fort Worth-to-Killeen/Fort Hood route and other lines.

Today, Amtrak trains bound for San Antonio, Chicago and Oklahoma City make one daily stop each in downtown Fort Worth. Those trains operate on freight rail lines and often run slower than cars. One short-term option would be to use some of the money made available by Obama to add more daily train service to those cities, LeCody said.

But before meaningful improvements can be made to freight lines, railroads must agree to allow access to their property. Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway has a history of cashing in federal incentives to give passenger trains priority clearance.

Union Pacific of Omaha, Neb., has historically been reluctant to allow more passenger service at the expense of freight. But it is willing to cooperate, an official said. "In 2008, we invested more than $20 million on maintenance projects that included replacing ties, installing new rails and rehabilitating grade crossings in Dallas-Fort Worth," spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza-Williams said.

During a visit to Burleson this week, U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., told Johnson County officials that he had recently traveled by train between Paris and Brussels in only 80 minutes. A trip of that distance in the U.S. would have taken six hours, he lamented, comparing it to that of "a Third World country."

Congress will consider a five-year, $450 billion federal transportation bill this year, said Oberstar, who heads the House transportation committee.

Among the proposals in that bill is an overhaul of the Transportation Department to include a new office for multimodal travel to help states coordinate how to connect cars, trains, trails and inner-city transit.

Help for regional rail

In Austin, state officials also expressed hope that Obama’s commitment to improving passenger rail will increase support for a local-option transportation bill that would allow Dallas-Fort Worth voters to pick from a menu of taxes and fees to build a regional rail and road system.

State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, said he thought Obama’s announcement should help efforts to pass regional rail legislation.

"There’s some question on can we get an adequate funding mechanism even if we get this into law," Burnam said. "This is a huge boost."

In the 1980s, a high-speed rail line was proposed to connect Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, but commercial air carriers, including Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, opposed the plan.

This time, airlines are cautiously open to the idea. Fast trains could be a way to deliver customers from small cities to big airports.

Staff writer Aman Batheja contributed to this report, which includes material from The Associated Press.