High-speed rail in the United States

[5] Brightline West is a privately operated route that is currently under construction between the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in the Greater Los Angeles area,[6] with service set to begin by 2028.

In contrast to Europe, these freights traveled past very few older buildings that were at risk of structural damage from vibrations created by heavy passing trains.

As a result, the requirement was revised to allow waivers for certain lines, and rarely enforced as the debate continued without any real resolution over the next two decades; in the meantime passenger fatalities began declining as the automobile emerged as a transportation option.

These trains were much lighter than the common engines and passenger cars of the day, as the "Zephyr" was constructed using stainless steel and the M-10000 chiefly of the aircraft alloy Duralumin.

The debate over signaling and train control between the railroads and the ICC had never really been settled, just deferred as passenger deaths declined, in part due to more travelers using their automobiles for shorter commutes and an expanding and improving highway network.

[24] While the railroads generally complied with this rule, affecting 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of track, they were not as tolerant of the ICC's additional requirement for ATS or cab signalling on passenger trains that exceeded 79 mph (127 km/h).

This made intercity passenger rail an even less competitive option, accelerating its decline as automobile use was increasing and airlines were beginning to compete on longer routes.

While the U.S. had not suffered the infrastructure damage it had inflicted on Europe and Japan, it had also developed its road network, leading to the creation of the Interstate Highway System after the war, giving prosperous citizens an efficient way to use the cars they were buying.

With their citizens impoverished as they rebuilt their economies, and unable to afford automobiles to the extent Americans could, those countries invested in rail as the primary means of intercity travel.

[17] Following the creation of Japan's first high-speed Shinkansen, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson asked the U.S. Congress to devise a way to increase speeds on American railroads.

In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration began developing a master plan for bringing high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor titled NEC FUTURE, and released the final environmental impact statement in December 2016.

[45] Northeast Maglev, using SCMaglev technology developed by Central Japan Railway Company, is currently working with the FRA and MDOT to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

[47] In 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $16.4 billion for 25 projects of significance along the Northeast Corridor, rebuilding tunnels and bridges, upgrading tracks, power systems, signals, stations, and other infrastructure.

[48] In 2024, following continuous efforts by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Federal Railroad Administration made $2 billion available for projects along the Northeast Corridor.

Closer and faster railroad transportation links between New York City and the rest of the state are frequently cited as a partial solution to Upstate's stagnant economic growth.

[51] California Proposition 1A, passed in November 2008, authorized the state to issue $9.95 billion in bonds to fund the first phase of a planned multi-phase high-speed rail network.

In April 2020, The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank approved $3.25 billion in tax-exempt private activity bonds for the project[56][57] and acquired a 50-year lease from Caltrans for use of the Interstate 15 corridor.

[62] Improvements proposed in Washington State's long range plan would have had passenger trains operating at a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) on line.

[64][65] As of 2012, neither the Washington State Department of Transportation[66] nor Oregon plan to implement speeds higher than 79 mph (127 km/h) due to safety and other freight service concerns voiced by the track owner, Union Pacific Railroad.

[70] Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has expressed his desire to see a Cascadia innovation corridor,[71] linking together the main economic centers of the Pacific Northwest.

The plan was to connect the "Texas Triangle" (Houston − Dallas/Fort Worth − San Antonio) with a privately financed high-speed train system which would quickly take passengers from one city to the next at prices designed to compete with or beat other transport options.

Southwest Airlines, with the help of lobbyists, created legal barriers to prohibit the consortium from moving forward and the entire project was eventually scuttled in 1994, when the State of Texas withdrew the franchise.

[78] In 2010, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) received a federal grant to study a high-speed rail corridor linking Oklahoma City with Dallas–Fort Worth.

AECOM recently partnered with technology companies Virgin Hyperloop One[87] and Arrivo[88] to begin consulting with local city and state governments about urban planning.

Steven Duong, the head urban planner for AECOM, claimed that cross-state high-speed rail as a system of transportation with both passengers and freight is "reasonable".

Final approval for 110 mph (180 km/h) speeds was granted in May 2023, and higher-speed rail service began on Wednesday, May 3, 2023,[107] reducing travel time by up to an additional 20 minutes.

[108][109] In June 2012, the developer of XpressWest, formerly known as DesertXpress, announced that they expanded the planned high-speed rail network to include links to Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver.

"[111] In April 2009, as required by ARRA, the FRA released its strategic plan describing the agency's vision for developing high-speed rail in the United States.

"[10] On June 17, 2009, the FRA advised grant applicants that evaluation for funding would be based on a proposal's potential to make trips quicker and more convenient, reduce congestion on highways and at airports, and meet other environmental, energy, and safety goals.

[116][117] The five areas receiving the most funding had originally been designated as high-speed rail corridors in October 1992 following passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.