In a move likely to draw opposition from key House Republicans, Amtrak and California transportation officials today announced plans to jointly look for high-speed train systems currently in production that are capable of traveling up to 220 miles per hour.

Joseph Boardman, Amtrak's top executive, and Jeff Morales, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said their partnership would ensure high-speed systems eventually become a reality on the West Coast and along Amtrak's busy Northeast corridor.

"This is about investing in 21st-century, state-of-the-art high-speed rail," Morales said this morning at Union Station in Washington, D.C., noting the collaboration would be a "natural fit" for both organizations. Morales and other California officials are in Washington to participate in ongoing transportation conferences and to meet with senior government leaders.

Boardman said Amtrak today issued a request for information to begin acquiring state-of-the-art high-speed train systems to provide faster service in both regions of the country.

"This is the beginning of the process to reach to industry and really see what is out there in terms of current state of the art and technology and what will be there by the time we're actually ordering the operating cars," Boardman said, adding that a request for proposals could occur by September. He estimated a cost of about $35 million to $55 million per train system.

Moving toward high-speed services in California has been a monumental challenge, pitting landowners against private investors and tasking government officials with alleviating concerns and tensions among stakeholders.

Last year, the California Senate passed a measure backed by Democrats to provide about $8 billion for the development of a high-speed train between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Proponents say the project would serve as a boost for California's economy.

Now, officials say they're on track to break ground this summer on their first operating phase of the rail system -- a 130-mile stretch between the Central Valley cities of Madera and Bakersfield.

The Obama administration has provided about $3 billion for the project. Californians also approved a bond measure for the project in 2008. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has assured lawmakers that private investors in the state would help back the project. And at a talk this week at the Transportation Research Board annual conference, LaHood said high-speed rail systems fulfill the president's "bold vision for American rail."

"Our goal and our dream is to connect 80 percent of the country over the next 25 years," LaHood said. "We have a leader who's made a commitment to get the country high-speed passenger rail, and it's a strong commitment and it will continue."

But on Capitol Hill, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), the recently appointed chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee with a jurisdiction over railroads, has suggested he would continue to oppose certain aspects of his state's high-speed rail project. Denham has raised concerns about delays and cost overruns, which he says have not been addressed at the state and federal level. Denham and his fiscally conservative colleagues in the House have successfully denied federal funds for the project.

"I want to see a full business plan with their private investors," Denham said recently.

There's also certain opposition to high-speed systems in the Northeast, stemming from Republican criticism of Amtrak's management.

Next month, high-speed rail advocates will host a forum in D.C. to help persuade Denham and others to back the California project. Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are scheduled to attend.