MERIDIAN, Miss. -- Amtrak officials say the terrorist attacks have delayed plans to develop a high-speed train corridor in the Southeast, including areas of Mississippi, the Sun Herald reports.

Congress is considering a proposal called the High Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001, which would allow Amtrak to sell $12 billion in bonds over the next 10 years to develop high-speed corridors throughout the United States.

Karina Van Veen, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said Congress has put the initiative on the back burner.

"It's still on the back of their minds, but security is on the forefront now," she said.

The Southeast link would connect Houston; New Orleans; Meridian; Birmingham, Ala.; Atlanta and Jacksonville, Fla. A second corridor would link Atlanta with Charlotte, N.C., through Greenville, S.C.

The high-speed train that runs from Washington to New York and Boston, the Acela, is powered by electricity.

Because upgrading the Southeast corridor with electrification would bring enormous costs, officials will likely use high-speed diesel trains to travel from New Orleans to Atlanta or to Pensacola, Fla., Van Veen said.