While many of his staunchest critics wait at a decrepit depot for the arrival of a 19th-century steam locomotive, President Barack Obama's train of the future has long left the station.

Get on board, y'all.

Once again, this month the president proved to be a man of vision by announcing plans for high-speed passenger rail service in a nation that for decades has been bent on killing off passenger trains.

It seems every federal budget cycle, nearsighted members of Congress have tried to find ways to cripple Amtrak if not outright destroy it.

Every year or so, fans of passenger trains have had to make the case for federal subsidies, explaining, among other things, that local and federal governments always have supported air travel through terminals, runways and air traffic control.

Since childhood, I've been a fan of trains, with fond memories of riding the Santa Fe Texas Chief from Fort Worth to Chicago, where I would transfer to the New York Central line to get me to my final destination of Detroit.

Those were the days when freight trains were forced to wait on a sidetrack as the passenger cars zoomed by. Nowadays, of course, it is the passenger train that has to give way to freight, the real moneymaker of rail service.

Those who use Amtrak outside the Northeast Corridor are accustomed to leaving and arriving late.

Because of poor funding and lack of interest among our leaders and the public, we allowed passenger rail infrastructure to deteriorate to the extent that, for many of us rail fans, it's simply faster, more convenient and cheaper even with high gasoline prices to travel by automobile.

That's why the president's plan for high-speed rail, with trains running at more than 100 mph, is so appealing.

Obama said that, in addition to the $8 billion in the stimulus package for this transportation system, there would be $1 billion a year extra for five years for projects in the 10 identified rail corridors across the country.

Fort Worth, which has daily passenger service to San Antonio and Oklahoma City, is part of that plan. In fact, just last month the Texas Department of Transportation requested money for a feasibility study to consider service to Central and South Texas.

Currently passenger trains in the Texas corridor can travel no more than 79 mph but could get up to 110 mph on tracks running parallel to freight lines. With elevated or fenced tracking, the trains could get up to 200 mph.

Imagine having the option of flying from Fort Worth to Houston or San Antonio or taking a high-speed train that would get you to the heart of those cities much quicker and with a lot less stress and hassle.

"Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 mph, walking only a few steps to public transportation and ending up just blocks from your destination," Obama said. "It is happening right now; it's been happening for decades. The problem is, it's been happening elsewhere, not here."

He's right, which is why I envy the Europeans and the Japanese for their speedy, clean and well-run rail systems.

"What we need, then," the president said, "is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century, a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs."

It is a tall order, but there is no reason we can't do that in this country. The only high-speed corridor in America, between Boston and Washington, D.C., proves that this concept can work.

We simply needed a president with the vision and the will to make it happen.

So, unless you're still waiting on that locomotive to arrive from those days of yesteryear, I say:

All aboard.

Bob Ray Sanders is a columnist for the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram.