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High-speed rail efforts in the US: a history
High-speed rail efforts in the US: a history
Despite efforts dating back to 1965, the United States has yet to complete a high-speed rail line. Three projects are underway, however.
Published Aug. 1, 2022
Dan Zukowski
Reporter
A group of 10 senators and 65 House members this spring asked for $3.5 billion in fiscal year 2023 appropriations to develop high-speed rail corridors. Two years earlier, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., had proposed a $205 billion investment to build a national high-speed rail network. These efforts are just two of the latest is a long history of attempts to jump-start bullet train projects in the U.S., dating back to the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965.
While the U.S. has dithered, the rest of the world has built nearly 35,000 miles of high-speed rail, according to the International Union of Railways. The generally accepted definition of high-speed rail is trains that can travel in excess of 160 mph. Amtrak’s fastest train, the Acela, reaches a top speed of 150 mph, but new Acela trains are expected to reach 160 mph when they come online in fall 2023.
Below are timelines of three U.S. projects under construction or in late stage development. Brightline West and Texas Central are being developed by the private sector while the California high-speed rail project is publicly owned and funded.
{snip}
Despite efforts dating back to 1965, the United States has yet to complete a high-speed rail line. Three projects are underway, however.
Published Aug. 1, 2022
Dan Zukowski
Reporter
A group of 10 senators and 65 House members this spring asked for $3.5 billion in fiscal year 2023 appropriations to develop high-speed rail corridors. Two years earlier, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., had proposed a $205 billion investment to build a national high-speed rail network. These efforts are just two of the latest is a long history of attempts to jump-start bullet train projects in the U.S., dating back to the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965.
While the U.S. has dithered, the rest of the world has built nearly 35,000 miles of high-speed rail, according to the International Union of Railways. The generally accepted definition of high-speed rail is trains that can travel in excess of 160 mph. Amtrak’s fastest train, the Acela, reaches a top speed of 150 mph, but new Acela trains are expected to reach 160 mph when they come online in fall 2023.
Below are timelines of three U.S. projects under construction or in late stage development. Brightline West and Texas Central are being developed by the private sector while the California high-speed rail project is publicly owned and funded.
{snip}