lpetrich
Contributor
Acela to Brightline: US' fastest trains, high-speed rail are coming
For American high-speed rail, 2020 could be a turning point - CNN
Starting with the opening of Japan's first high-speed line in 1964, several nations in eastern and western Eurasia have built thousands of kilometers / miles of high-speed trackage, and high-speed trains compete very well with short-distance airline service. High-speed service for trains is sometimes defined as at least 250 km/h (155 mph) on new lines or at least 200 km/h (124 mph) on existing ones. Many high-speed trains travel at 300 km/h (186 mph) or faster over much of their routes.
Compared to China, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, and some other nations, the United States is very far behind. The only line fitting this definition of high-speed rail is Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line: Boston - Providence - New Haven - New York City - Trenton - Philadelphia - Wilmington - Baltimore - Washington DC.
But numerous proposals for additional high-speed lines have been discussed over the years, with no action on them for a long time. Barack Obama's Presidency seemed like the beginning of an era of US high-speed rail, with projects in California, Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin going ahead. But after Republican governors were elected in the latter three states in 2010, those governors soon shut down those projects, and California got the money intended for them. Californians have started building their system, starting with its Central Valley segment: Merced - Madera - Fresno - Bakersfield.
But smaller-scale efforts have started in other states.
In Florida, Florida East Coast Industries decided to start passenger service on some tracks that it owns in southeastern Florida, under the name All Aboard Florida. It improved its line for West Palm Beach - Ft. Lauderdale - Miami service, changing its name to Brightline and opening in 2018. In 2019, Richard Branson's Virgin Group got involved, and the system is now Virgin Trains USA.
Virgin Trains is now extending the existing 65-mi / 105-km line northward 170 mi / 270 km to Orlando, and that extension will open in 2022. The company plans to build a station in Boca Raton, a short extension to PortMiami, and another extension from Orlando to Tampa.
Virgin Trains has acquired XpressWest, which is planning to build a 170-mi / 270-km line from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas. It should break ground late this year and start service in 2023. Its trains should travel at 200 mph / 320 km/h, taking 85 minutes instead of the 3 hours needed for driving. Victorville seems like a bad choice, since it is 84 mi / 135 km from Los Angeles, but getting closer requires crossing the San Gabriel Mountains north of LA.
In Texas, Texas Central is hoping to build a 240-mi / 390 km line between Dallas and Houston. Construction may start later this year, and service should start in 2026.
USA Today:
CNN:
For American high-speed rail, 2020 could be a turning point - CNN
Starting with the opening of Japan's first high-speed line in 1964, several nations in eastern and western Eurasia have built thousands of kilometers / miles of high-speed trackage, and high-speed trains compete very well with short-distance airline service. High-speed service for trains is sometimes defined as at least 250 km/h (155 mph) on new lines or at least 200 km/h (124 mph) on existing ones. Many high-speed trains travel at 300 km/h (186 mph) or faster over much of their routes.
Compared to China, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, and some other nations, the United States is very far behind. The only line fitting this definition of high-speed rail is Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line: Boston - Providence - New Haven - New York City - Trenton - Philadelphia - Wilmington - Baltimore - Washington DC.
But numerous proposals for additional high-speed lines have been discussed over the years, with no action on them for a long time. Barack Obama's Presidency seemed like the beginning of an era of US high-speed rail, with projects in California, Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin going ahead. But after Republican governors were elected in the latter three states in 2010, those governors soon shut down those projects, and California got the money intended for them. Californians have started building their system, starting with its Central Valley segment: Merced - Madera - Fresno - Bakersfield.
But smaller-scale efforts have started in other states.
In Florida, Florida East Coast Industries decided to start passenger service on some tracks that it owns in southeastern Florida, under the name All Aboard Florida. It improved its line for West Palm Beach - Ft. Lauderdale - Miami service, changing its name to Brightline and opening in 2018. In 2019, Richard Branson's Virgin Group got involved, and the system is now Virgin Trains USA.
Virgin Trains is now extending the existing 65-mi / 105-km line northward 170 mi / 270 km to Orlando, and that extension will open in 2022. The company plans to build a station in Boca Raton, a short extension to PortMiami, and another extension from Orlando to Tampa.
Virgin Trains has acquired XpressWest, which is planning to build a 170-mi / 270-km line from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas. It should break ground late this year and start service in 2023. Its trains should travel at 200 mph / 320 km/h, taking 85 minutes instead of the 3 hours needed for driving. Victorville seems like a bad choice, since it is 84 mi / 135 km from Los Angeles, but getting closer requires crossing the San Gabriel Mountains north of LA.
In Texas, Texas Central is hoping to build a 240-mi / 390 km line between Dallas and Houston. Construction may start later this year, and service should start in 2026.
USA Today:
There are several other possible high-speed corridors that could be developed: Chicago - St. Louis, Atlanta - Charlotte NC, Seattle - Portland OR, Dallas - Austin - San Antonio, Houston - Austin (the Texas Triangle is Houston - Dallas - Austin)Not to be outdone, Amtrak is replacing its flagship Acela trains, which have been running from Washington to New York and Boston since 2000, at a maximum speed of 150 mph. The new trains will be able to go slightly faster — 160 mph — but are limited by curves and aging bridges and tunnels in the Northeast.
...
Amtrak, meanwhile, is upgrading track, bridges and stations in the Northeast Corridor in preparation for its new Acela trains, which will debut next year. But its long-term goals of more frequent and faster trains in the region are costly ones: In 2012, the railroad estimated all the necessary improvements would cost $151 billion by 2040. Amtrak receives about $1 billion a year in federal funding.
CNN:
Brian Kelly, CEO of California High Speed Rail Authority believes that private sector investment in projects like the Vegas-to-LA connection, portends good things for his own project. He expects a private sector partner to join once risks to the San Francisco-to-LA project are resolved, such as environmental approvals and land to build on.
He added that the presidential election this fall will be significant as well for US high-speed rail development. The Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has said he'll push for a national high-speed rail network.
"Somebody once said to me, 'building a mega-project is like surviving a series of near-death experiences,'" Kelly said. "It's true."