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North Carolina is asking for more federal high-speed rail funding than it's likely to get, but it could put the money to good use. All $5.3 billion.

Only $8 billion is available nationally under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, so the North Carolina application is brash.

It ought to be. State transportation planners have been working on this for 20 years, anticipating a day when the country would get serious about expanding passenger-friendly rail service beyond the Northeast corridor.

The time will come. North Carolina's groundwork and location along the designated Southeast High Speed Rail corridor put it in prime position for a major investment of federal funds.

It will cost billions to upgrade track, eliminate road crossings, improve stations and otherwise make rail a viable alternative for intercity travel -- as it is in Europe, Japan and, soon, China. Americans are used to driving, but if rail service is fast and convenient, they'll consider taking the train. North Carolina transportation officials are aiming for top speeds of 90 mph to 110 mph between Charlotte and Richmond, Va. Even with numerous stops -- including High Point, Greensboro and Burlington -- trains could maintain average speeds of 86 mph, planners say.

That doesn't match the super speeds of European and Japanese "bullet trains," but it may be enough to draw millions of Americans each year out of their automobiles at least sometimes, relieving highway congestion and reducing air pollution.

With relatively little federal money available, competition is fierce. A new report by America 2050, a private organization that promotes rail travel, ranks the Charlotte-Washington, D.C., rail connection only No. 17 on its national priority list for federal funding, behind routes in the Northeast as well as Dallas-Houston; Chicago to Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis and Cleveland; and Los Angeles to San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose and Phoenix.

The truth is, the United States should improve passenger rail capacity in all those areas as a critical infrastructure investment. North Carolina is ready to get on board.