UJ
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High-speed trains have demonstrated their benefits globally over the last five decades.
Their significance lies not just in cutting travel times but also, crucially, in fostering economic growth, generating employment opportunities, and connecting communities. Countries like China, Japan, and various European nations are at the forefront of this advancement.
So, what is holding back the United States from establishing a similar high-speed rail network?
For a nation that ranks among the richest and most economically advanced, with a rapidly urbanizing populace exceeding 300 million, it becomes increasingly hard to rationalize this lack of high-speed rail.
Japan initiated the trend with its Shinkansen “Bullet Trains” in 1964, but it was the introduction of France’s TGV in the early 1980s that truly ignited a global high-speed rail movement, which is still growing.
However, this revolutionary advancement has not yet reached the United States, leaving Americans heavily reliant on crowded highways or the frustrating experience of flying within a deregulated airline system.
Since 2008, China has constructed approximately 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers) of dedicated high-speed rail and aims to expand this network to over 43,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) by 2035.
In contrast, the United States has just 375 route-miles of track designated for speeds over 100 mph.
“Many Americans have no concept of high-speed rail and fail to see its value. They are hopelessly stuck with a highway and airline mindset,” states William C. Vantuono, the editor-in-chief of Railway Age, the longest-running railroad industry periodical in North America.
For decades, cars and airplanes have dominated long-distance travel in the United States, quickly displacing a once-thriving network of luxurious passenger trains with iconic names like “The Empire Builder,” “Super Chief,” and “Silver Comet.”
Abandoned by Hollywood celebrities and business passengers, renowned railway companies such as the New York Central went nearly bankrupt by the early 1970s, ultimately handing over their struggling rail services to Amtrak, the national passenger rail operator created in 1971.
Since that painful cutback, freight railroads in the US have thrived, while passenger rail has remained a low priority for lawmakers.
Powerful lobbying efforts from the airline, oil, and automobile industries in Washington have expended millions to sustain this dominance, but their grip is loosening under pressure from environmental considerations and increasing congestion.
US President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure initiative includes a historic $170 billion allocated towards enhancing rail systems.
A portion of these funds is set to be used for the reinstatement of Amtrak’s deteriorating Northeast Corridor (NEC) that connects Boston, New York, and Washington.
Moreover, there are ambitious plans to restore passenger rail service to various cities across the country – delivering fast, sustainable travel options to areas that have lacked passenger trains for many years.
Coupled with the success of the privately financed Brightline service in Florida, which has received approval to construct a $10 billion high-speed rail connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas by 2027, along with various projects in California, Texas, and the proposed Cascadia route, it appears the United States is finally on the verge of a passenger rail renaissance.
“Every president since Ronald Reagan has emphasized the urgent need to enhance infrastructure across the USA, yet they have consistently prioritized other matters,” comments Scott Sherin, chief commercial officer of Alstom’s US division.
“Now, however, there is a significant push to initiate changes – this is a moment filled with optimism. If we build it, they will come. The industry is evolving, and we are prepared to advance to the next level. It’s time to prioritize passenger rail.”
Sherin highlights that unlike other public services like highways and airports, which receive massive subsidies, implementing similar support for rail should not pose a problem.
“It is essential that we better communicate the benefits of high-speed rail – including high-quality job creation, economic stimulation, and enhanced connectivity compared to airlines – to foster bipartisan backing,” he emphasizes. “High-speed rail is not the answer to every challenge, but its place is critical.”
Only the Northeast Corridor operated by Amtrak allows trains to travel at speeds nearing those of the TGV and Shinkansen, which can reach about 300 kilometers per hour (186 mph).
Even there, the Amtrak Acela trains currently peak at 150 mph, but only for brief intervals. For the most part, speeds are closer to 100 mph over congested tracks shared with commuter and freight services.
This year, Amtrak will introduce its next-generation Avelia Liberty trains to replace the aging Acelas operating in the NEC.
These trains are designed to reach speeds of 220 mph (though limited to 160 mph on the NEC), transplanting Alstom’s advanced high-speed rail technology into North America.
The front and rear of the train are powered by locomotives, known as power cars, that closely resemble the next-generation TGV-M trains set to launch in France in 2024.
Between these power cars lie passenger coaches that employ Alstom’s Tiltronix technology, allowing them to tilt and navigate curves at higher speeds, similar to what MotoGP riders do. This technology benefits not only passengers but also the larger rail system.
“When Amtrak chose Alstom for the contract in 2015 to 2016, the company employed around 200 people in Hornell,” notes Shawn D. Hogan, the former mayor of Hornell, New York.
“That workforce has now grown to nearly 900, with hiring continuing to accelerate. I estimate that we have seen public and private investments exceeding $269 million in our city since 2016, including a new hotel, a state-of-the-art hospital, and residential developments.
“This project is a transformative economic development endeavor that is unprecedented in rural America, and if it can happen here, it can happen elsewhere in the United States.”
Alstom has committed nearly $600 million to establish a US supply chain for its high-speed trains, with over 80% of the train components being manufactured domestically, sourced from 170 suppliers across 27 states.
“High-speed rail is already a reality. The Avelia Liberty was designed in collaboration with our European partners, equipping us for ‘TGV-USA,’” adds Sherin.
“We are utilizing established technologies from existing train systems, and we are ready to proceed as soon as the necessary infrastructure is available.”
Those new rail lines could potentially be completed sooner than anticipated.
In March, Brightline announced plans to start the construction of a 218-mile (351-kilometer) high-speed line connecting Rancho Cucamonga, near Los Angeles, with Las Vegas, traversing through the San Bernardino Mountains and across the desert, aligned with the Interstate 15 route.
The line, designed to travel at 200 mph, is projected to reduce travel time to just over an hour, presenting a significant improvement over the four-hour drive or the five to seven hours required by bus, upon its opening in 2027.
Mike Reininger, CEO of Brightline Holdings, states: “As the most shovel-ready high-speed rail initiative in the United States, we are getting closer to aligning ourselves with transit and infrastructure projects worldwide, and we take pride in employing America’s most skilled workforce to make this happen.”
Brightline West anticipates contributing approximately $10 billion to the region’s economy, generating about 35,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions related to maintenance, operations, and customer service throughout Southern California and Nevada.
This project will also reintroduce passenger train service to Las Vegas after a 30-year absence, following Amtrak’s discontinuation of the “Desert Wind” route in 1997.
Brightline is aiming to capture around 12 million of the 50 million one-way journeys taken annually between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with 85% of these trips currently made by bus or car.
At the same time, construction is advancing on another high-speed rail line traversing the San Joaquin Valley.
The California High Speed Rail (CHSR), anticipated to launch around 2030, will connect Merced to Bakersfield (a distance of 171 miles) at speeds reaching 220 mph.
When paired with upgraded commuter rail lines at either end, this initiative could enable high-speed trains to cover the 350 miles (560 kilometers) between Los Angeles and San Francisco in just two hours and 40 minutes.
CHSR has been considered since 1996, yet its implementation has faced controversies.
Disputes regarding the route, management complications, delays in land acquisition and construction, budget overruns, and insufficient funding for completing the full system have plagued the project – despite the significant economic advantages and reduced pollution and congestion it promises. Approximately 10,000 individuals are already employed in this endeavor.
With an estimated cost ranging from $63 billion to $98 billion, depending on the project’s scale, CHSR aims to connect six of California’s ten largest cities and offer the same capacity as 4,200 miles of new highway lanes, along with 91 additional airport gates and two new airport runways, which would cost between $122 billion and $199 billion.
Given that California’s population is projected to exceed 45 million by 2050, high-speed rail presents the most viable solution to prevent the state from becoming mired in pollution and congestion.
Brightline West and the California High-Speed Rail provide models for the prospective expansion of high-speed rail in North America.
By concentrating on pairs of cities or regions that are too close for air travel yet too far for road travel, transportation planners can forecast which corridors will yield the highest potential.
“It makes sense that the US has yet to develop a nationwide high-speed network,” Sherin reflects. “For many years, traveling by car was manageable, but with increasing highway congestion, we’ve reached a point where we must seriously consider alternatives.
“The key figures are metropolitan centers with a population of around three million that are 200 to 500 miles apart, enabling travel times of less than three hours – ideally two hours.
“In regions of Europe and Asia where these conditions are met, high-speed rail decreases air travel’s market share from 100% to nearly zero. This model could be just as effective in the USA as it is globally.”
Sherin cites the successful launch of the original Acela trains as supporting evidence for this concept.
“The introduction of the first-generation Acela trains between New York City and Washington in 2000 resulted in such an influx of passengers that airlines halted their frequent shuttle services between these cities,” he remarks.
However, industry expert Vantuono expresses a more skeptical view.
“The establishment of a high-speed rail network in the US is unrealistic,” he argues. “The absence of political backing and federal financial aid, coupled with the fierce resistance from landowners that CHSR has encountered in California, creates monumental obstacles for new high-speed projects.”
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), both urban and high-speed rail possess significant potential to yield considerable benefits in the reduction of global transport emissions.
Dr. Fatih Birol from the IEA claims that rail transport is “often overlooked” in discussions surrounding future transport systems – a trend that is particularly pronounced in North America.
“Even with the emergence of cars and airplanes, various rail systems have advanced and prospered,” Birol asserts.
Globally, approximately 75% of rail passenger movements utilize electric-powered vehicles, positioning rail transport for significant advantages as renewable energy becomes more prevalent in the coming years.
Here, however, the US lag behind the rest of the world, with electrification being almost non-existent outside the Northeast Corridor.
Rail systems in South Korea, Japan, Europe, China, and Russia exhibit over 60% electrification, with South Korea leading at around 85%.
In North America, however, less than 5% of rail routes are electrified.
The vast expanse of the United States and its ever-distributed population make it challenging to establish a cohesive network akin to those being developed in China or proposed for Europe.
Air travel is likely to remain the preferred choice for transcontinental trips that exceed 3,000 miles (approximately 4,828 kilometers).
Nonetheless, there exists a multitude of shorter intercity travel corridors where high-speed rail, or a mix of new infrastructure alongside upgraded railroad tracks or tilting trains, could emerge as an unmatched alternative to air travel and vehicular transport.
