WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce on Thursday $8 billion in grants to develop the first U.S. high-speed, intercity rail service the White House says will create or save thousands of jobs.

Obama is heading to Tampa, Florida, after delivering his State of the Union address Wednesday night in which he promised Americans that job creation would be his top priority this year, in the face of stubborn double-digit unemployment.

The grants will help fund the development of 13 high-speed “rail corridors” across the country, the White House said.

One of the new rail corridors will be in Florida.

The grants come from money already earmarked for the projects in Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package that Congress passed last year.

“This historic $8 billion investment is expected to create or save tens of thousands of jobs over time in areas like track-laying, manufacturing and rail maintenance,” the White House said in a statement

It said more than 30 rail manufacturers, including foreign companies, had agreed to establish or expand their base of operations in the United States if they won contracts to help build the new rail corridors.

In addition to the $8 billion stimulus money, $1 billion a year will be set aside for five years in the federal budget to jump-start the program.