Washington - Regions across the United States are flooding the US Transportation Department with requests for high-speed rail projects, which are set to get a federal funding boost from the economic stimulus package passed in February.

The US Congress allocated 8 billion dollars to high-speed rail, which has been little developed in the United States, out of a 787- billion-dollar package designed to pull the country's economy out of a deep recession.

The Transportation Department on Thursday said it has so far received 278 requests for funding from 40 states, totalling 102 billion dollars. The first grants will likely be handed out in autumn.

"The response has been tremendous and shows the country is ready for high-speed rail," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "It's time to look beyond our highways and invest in public transportation services like rail."

US President Barack Obama has pushed for significant improvements in the country's public transportation system, which lags behind many developed countries.

Vice President Joe Biden, who famously commuted by train between his home in Delaware and work in Washington over 30 years as a US senator, has led the effort.(dpa)