But proponents say that the promise of high speed rail is too much to pass up. With all the challenges that these projects face, it might be tempting to abandon them. The railway is still under construction, but will likely not be able to connect LA and San Francisco when it’s launched given its ever-growing price tag and waning public and political support.Ī high-speed Intercity Express (ICE) train, part of European service primarily run by Germany’s national train provider Deutsche Bahn The promise of high speed rail
According to the New York Times, political compromise turned this relatively simple project into one that was increasingly costly and complex, as the railway was diverted through more logistically challenging routes. Instead, the funds went to California for the LA-San Francisco line, the only high-speed rail line currently under construction in the United States. Wisconsin lost almost all the promised funding. After his election, Walker shut down the project. But later that year, Scott Walker made the railway the centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign, promising to redirect the funding to roads and bridges instead. Ten years later it received an $800 million grant from the federal government under President Obama. In Wisconsin, the Madison-Milwaukee line was first proposed by Republican governor Tommy Thompson in 2000. Coupled with other track modifications needed, it has a current estimated cost of $108 billion. The route would require the construction of numerous tunnels, including one stretching 16 miles beneath the Long Island Sound. The proposed Boston-NYC route highlights the logistical challenges and high cost of building high speed rail in densely populated areas. There are numerous projects aiming to add high-speed rail networks to the US with proposed routes linking Boston and New York Dallas and Houston Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver and LA and San Francisco. Maglev may also reduce maintenance costs and improve safety.Īn Amtrak train stops in Centralia, Washington on the route between Vancouver and California. New innovations like maglev could push max speeds higher and higher - like the record breaking Shanghai Maglev which can reach speeds of 373 mph.
The closest the US has to high-speed rail is the DC-NYC Acela, which is capable of going 150mph but generally goes about half that speed, due largely to the age of the tracks. The London to Paris route takes less than two hours to travel 300 miles. Japan’s shinkansen, known as the bullet train, boasts speeds of up to 320 mph and travels across the whole of Japan. While existing tracks can be used, the train’s speed can be limited by curves, inclines, and the age of tracks. On high speed rail lines, trains travel faster than 125 mph. In Europe and Asia, high-speed rail enables passengers to travel long distances more quickly than they would by train or plane. Southern Pacific was one of the rail companies that served the western United States in the 19th century. In 2021, only 19% of US transportation and infrastructure spending was on rail. This trend has continued, and not the least because highways require continuous maintenance, while the US’s growing population demands more lanes and roads to relieve congestion. Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail. The auto industry was booming, and Americans bought cars and houses in suburbs without rail connections. While the US was a passenger train pioneer in the 19th century, after WWII, railways began to decline. A story of US transportationĪlthough the US has the most railroad tracks in the world, the majority of that infrastructure is used for freight. Proposed high-speed rail projects have the potential to generate tremendous benefits, but only if they can overcome logistical and political challenges. For others, stronger rail networks promise economic revitalization outside urban centers, and a less congested, more connected country.
China has a vast network of high-speed rail that helps commuters and travelers traverse long distances more quickly.įor some people in the US, rail travel seems a nostalgic figment of the past.
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