President Barack Obama announced Thursday that Wisconsin will receive more than $800 million in federal stimulus money to construct a high-speed passenger rail between Milwaukee and Madison.

The new rail will be a part of an $800 billion project, which will use funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create high-speed railways in fourteen states across the country.

“We’re going to put more Americans to work rebuilding our infrastructure, and building our infrastructure of the future,” Obama said according to a statement.

Gov. Jim Doyle also held a press conference Thursday to announce the project. He said the funds will go toward track construction, passenger stations and other infrastructure improvements.

Other parts of the plan will focus on improving the rail lines between Chicago and Milwaukee and exploring the possibility of extending the line from Madison to the Twin Cities.

Obama’s rail plan will reduce travel time between Chicago and Milwaukee by more than 30 percent and increase speeds from 79 to 110 mph.

The rail line from Milwaukee to Madison will travel at speeds up to 110 mph and include stops in Oconomowoc, Brookfield and Watertown.

Construction of the line should begin by the end of 2010 and should be finished by 2013.

“Through high-speed rail, President Obama is making a major investment in the future of Wisconsin’s economy,” Doyle said in a statement. “With the Obama administration’s support, Wisconsin is poised to be the nation’s leader in high-speed rail manufacturing.”

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., also attended the press conference and praised the Obama administration for using the stimulus funds to create high-speed rail. She added the project will create 13,000 jobs and will be a great advantage for attracting and maintaining businesses in the state.

“It’s quite clear that President Obama came into office with a vision for our future and now we see the commitment to make it happen,” Baldwin said. “This enormous investment in our state will go a long, long way toward our economic recovery and giving us real hope for the future.”

States had to go through a rigorous application process to be approved for the funding, said Warren Flatau, senior public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

According to Flatau, some of the criteria for fund eligibility included states’ level of commitment, whether they had done any preliminary work and if the proposed project would yield any tangible benefits in terms of job creation and economic development.

“This is really an initial first step, it’s supposed to jumpstart a longer procedure measured in decades,” Flatau said. “[The DOT] would like to see, in a decade or two, interconnected systems of regional networks.”

Wisconsin Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he is extremely pleased and excited by the announcement of the rail plan. He added the project will create jobs that are badly needed in the state.

According to Risser, part of the reason Wisconsin’s application for funds was successful is because of the large amount of planning state officials had already done. He said the next step will be obtaining bids for project jobs.

“I think it’s going to not only be an advantage to people, but it will take cars off of the road,” Risser said. “I’m old enough I remember when Wisconsin used to have railways, and hopefully I’ll see it again in my lifetime.”

The rail plan in Wisconsin will eliminate 7.8 million car trips and save 27.6 million gallons of fuel in the next ten years, according to a statement by Doyle.

The rail announcement came on the same day Doyle appointed current Vice Chancellor of Administration for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Darrell Bazzell to serve on the Dane County Regional Transit Authority. Bazzell served as the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 2001-2003.

“Darrell Bazzell’s broad experience and understanding of issues in Dane County will be a valuable asset to the Authority,” Doyle said in a statement.

Seven other appointments have been made by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Middleton Mayor Kurt Sonnentag, Fitchburg Mayor Jay Allen and Sun Praire Mayor Joe Chase.