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SACRAMENTO (CBS 5 / AP) ― Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged the Obama administration to invest in California's high-speed rail plans with federal stimulus money.

The governor said the state's plans for a rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco are far ahead of any other high-speed rail system in the nation.

His comments come as the president told the nation he wanted to move swiftly to spend $8 billion on high-speed rail projects nationwide.

Mr. Obama said that by investing $8 billion in stimulus funding to expand high speed rail lines, America will create jobs and reduce pollution.

Obama labeled the plans a "new foundation for our lasting prosperity."

Employing a common rhetorical device, the president listed possible objections to his plans raised by critics.

Among the charges he said people were making were that the cost was prohibitive, that the current economic crisis should be his top concern, and that Americans' fondness for cars makes improving train travel something of a non-issue. To refute these claims, he cited the success of high speed rail lines in countries such as China, Japan, France, and Spain.

"This is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It's happening now. The problem is, it's happening elsewhere," Obama said.

The administration's plan is two-fold. It identifies 10 new corridors (listed below) for high-speed rail lines and enhances existing lines in a way that will improve speed and efficiency. In addition to the funding from the stimulus plan, the president said he is seeking $5 billion through the federal budget to help improve rail lines.

Obama said that this funding would enable trains to go from 70 to 100 mph along some lines and would reduce congestion on streets and airports that amounted to some $80 billion in lost productivity.

"This plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways," Obama said.

In Obama's calculus, train travel will resemble something akin to a utopian transportation experience.

"Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city -- no racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes," said Obama in describing his vision for high speed rail travel. "Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination."

Obama also cited the examples of two of his predecessors to justify the importance of a massive infrastructural investment: presidents Lincoln and Eisenhower. He noted that Lincoln's stewardship of the Union Pacific Railroad and Eisenhower's creation of the Interstate both contributed to America's long term growth.

If he wanted support for his plan, he didn't need to look far. Vice President Joe Biden, one of the country's most prominent cheerleaders for train travel, was standing by the president's side throughout his remarks. Biden, of course, achieved some fame for his daily train commutes from Washington to his Wilmington, Del. home during his more than three decades in the U.S. Senate.

Because of his frequent train travel, some have labeled Biden "Amtrak Joe." On Thursday, Obama called him "America's number one rail fan."

Here are the 10 corridors the administration has identified as having potential for high speed train projects:

* California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)

* Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, BC)

* South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)

* Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)

* Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville,)

* Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)

* Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)

* Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)

* Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)

* Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)