Paustenbach said the agency will be able to handle its workload with the additional employees and the experts "loaned" from other agencies.

"Our dedicated FRA staff has already been successful," Paustenbach said.

President Obama has touted high-speed rail as a high-tech, energy-efficient transportation option. The largest share of the $8 billion in grants awarded in January went to California, which got $2.3 billion for a 220-mph route between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Florida, which got $1.3 billion to develop a 168-mph rail corridor between Tampa and Orlando.

Most of the rest went to smaller projects to increase speeds on Amtrak routes or plan for future projects in 11 other rail corridors linking large cities.

Congress added $2.5 billion more for high-speed rail to the Transportation Department's 2010 budget, and the White House has asked for $1 billion more next year.