We’ve discussed some ways high speed rail in the U.S. could be going astray - such as failing to connect HSR lines to commuter lines, and thereby making it unduly hard for anyone to actually use the service. But critics of the government’s plans for HSR — and the administration behind them — are charging that the decision-making agency that awarded all that federal cash is and was fatally flawed.

According to some government investigators and critics in Congress (nearly all of whom are Republicans) the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the agency charged with managing the $8 billion handed out last month, is woefully understaffed and was not equipped to adequately review the 214 applications submitted for funds. These critics also assert that the employees the FRA does have are not exactly experts in overseeing massive HSR projects: Until now, the agency’s primary function has been maintaining the safety of existing freight and passenger railroads.

Rep. John Mica of Florida, the top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, made a particularly strident statement, calling the award process “amateur hour,” and charging the FRA with not consulting enough with elected officials and devoting too much of the money to Amtrak improvements.

But while there’s little doubt the FRA has had probably the busiest few months in its existence, it’s hard to see how its staffing was so inadequate as to completely corrupt the awards process. A report by the Transportation Department inspector general states the agency brought in staff from other departments to get the applications reviewed and the money awarded by February 2010 — which was an enormous accomplishment given the complexity of the applications and the relatively small number of projects that won funding.

There’s also the fact that the existing FRA wasn’t tiny to begin with — it currently boasts 917 employees. (more…)