Pennsylvania will seek federal economic stimulus funds to study enhanced passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and to advance a proposed magnetic levitation train from Pittsburgh International Airport to Downtown.

The stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17 allocated $8 billion for high-speed rail projects nationwide. States were invited to "preapply" for a share of the money this month, with final applications due in August and October.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced yesterday that it has received 278 preapplications seeking $102 billion.

"The response has been tremendous and shows that the country is ready for high-speed rail," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

The first round of federal grants is expected in mid-September.

Gov. Ed Rendell announced yesterday that the state will ask for funding to design and build the first segment of the proposed maglev system, from the airport to Downtown. The estimated cost is $2.3 billion.

While maglev trains would travel at speeds up to 240 mph, planning of the proposed system has moved at a snail's pace. Maglev Inc. of McKeesport, the developer, has spent more than $27 million in federal and state funds since the mid-1990s.

An environmental impact study is nearly complete, and a Port Authority committee this week approved a $70,000 amendment using grant funds to extend a consultant contract to finish the study.

However, the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has proposed canceling federal funding of maglev projects in the new six-year surface transportation legislation that is before Congress.

Fred Gurney, president and CEO of Maglev Inc., noted that the preapplications exceeded the available stimulus funding by more than 12 to 1. But he said he hoped that the higher speeds attainable by maglev trains would give his project an edge over proposals involving steel-wheeled trains going 110 mph.

"That's a long way from what I would call high-speed," he said.

Mr. Rendell said the state also is seeking $1.5 million to study improvements to passenger rail service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, currently served by only one Amtrak train per day with slow travel times because of heavy freight traffic along the same tracks.

The state also will seek stimulus money to upgrade the Harrisburg-to-Philadelphia corridor, which already is faster and more efficient and served by 14 daily trains. The money would go for track, signal, power and catenary upgrades, grade crossing removal and station improvements or replacements. Total cost is estimated at more than $1 billion.

It intends to apply for funding for part of a proposed 133-mile corridor between Scranton and New York, estimated to cost $551 million.

In addition to the $8 billion allocated in stimulus funds for high-speed rail projects, Mr. Obama has proposed another $5 billion for intercity rail development, and the draft of the new surface transportation bill calls for $50 billion over six years.

Ten corridors have been designated by the federal government for high-speed rail development, in addition to the Washington, D.C.-to-Boston corridor that already has an approximation of high-speed service. One is the Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia line, called the Keystone Corridor.

"Investments in high-speed rail help to meet rising consumer demand for expanded transportation options, while easing stresses on our highway and bridge infrastructure," Mr. Rendell said yesterday. "The candidate rail projects we're outlining would not only jump-start local economies, but also will help spur our progress toward a more efficient transportation system."