"Maryland and the NEC (Northeast Corridor) would benefit greatly from receipt of the federal high-speed rail funds recently rejected by the governor of Florida, " Democratic Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement addressed to LaHood.

CNN: States hope to cash in on Florida's rejection of rail funds

"We accept that growth is likely to remain positive, but believe that the speed of the recovery will be somewhat slower than the governor indicated", he said.

BBC: Bank of England upgrades economic growth forecasts

Meanwhile, the cost of completing high-speed rail links has become a campaign issue in some governor's races, with Republican candidates in California, Ohio and Wisconsin criticizing the projects as wasteful spending.

WSJ: High-Speed-Rail Costs Irk States