Outside of rail and technology companies, almost none of them discussed long-term plans to significantly expand their work force.

WSJ: CEOs Say Don't Expect Much Hiring

Cameron Jones, vice president of rail industry technology specialists SilverRail, agrees that competition in the sector can benefit the consumer.

CNN: 'Ferrari' train driving high-speed rail renaissance

Anticipative maintenance is part of a larger shift at the rail arm toward using more technology on the tracks.

FORBES: Magazine Article

And lasting opportunities for the middle class in areas like clean energy, the smart grid, high-speed rail, and high-technology changes will take place.

WHITEHOUSE: VP Biden on Economic Expansion for the Middle Class

My firm's research suggests that business and consumer confidence there is high, that there is not too much leverage in China's marketplace (leverage, not high prices, is what causes dangerous real estate and stock bubbles) and that the government is investing smartly in infrastructure projects like rail lines, subways and clean technology initiatives that improve economic efficiency and lower the costs of doing business.

FORBES: Leadership

General Electric is part of several announced deals, including a project to expand high-speed rail in the U.S. using Chinese technology and a joint effort with Shenhua Gasification to building clean energy generators.

FORBES: China Splashes Cash At Obama-Hu Summit

Diesel engine technology took a huge leap with the use of common-rail direct injection (CDI) in the 1990s.

FORBES: 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL 350 BlueTEC Test Drive and Review: A Hug for Diesel

To build the infrastructure of tomorrow, we're investing in expanded broadband access and health information technology, clean energy facilities and the first high-speed rail network in America.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Addresses Business Roundtable

Grand plans for European-style double-decker trains were rejected as impractical, as were schemes for a high-speed rail route (run, in the wildest of dreams, on magnetic-levitation technology) connecting London to the north.

ECONOMIST: Railway reform

And that means competition is going to be much more fierce and the winners of this competition will be the countries that have the most educated workers, a serious commitment to research and technology, and access to quality infrastructure like roads and airports and high-speed rail and high-speed Internet.

WHITEHOUSE: Education, Innovation & The Economy

While all of these improvements are greatly needed, funding high-speed rail piecemeal and state-by-state instead of as a federal project means that train and track technology may differ.

BBC: The futurist: Putting the choo-choo back in Chattanooga