The Need for Speed

Cars, planes, and boats have one thing in common — they all fall short as efficient transportation systems capable of moving millions across the country and between major metropolitan areas. The solution? Trains. High-speed rail transportation can transform the way Americans travel well into the future, all while providing a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option to the traditional family road trip.

With the rise in gasoline costs and smog in some major cities, leaving 137 million Americans with unhealthy levels of air pollution, we need a fundamental change to improve our overall livelihoods while also providing a more comfortable and efficient way of doing so.

Despite this, America’s current passenger rail system is unable to provide this transition. Amtrak, the United States’ only major passenger rail service, has suffered from a multitude of issues related to its passenger rail services. Amtrak doesn’t own any of the tracks that it uses (except for a stretch of tracks in the Northeast corridor, which has its own set of problems). As a result, Amtrak must pay freight lines for the use of their track and must also yield to oncoming freight trains that are using the line at the same time. This is a far cry from any developed European country, many of which have robust high-speed rail systems. Rail lines in Europe tend to be dedicated to passenger service and are often very well maintained — many rail lines are capable of supporting high-speed service. Constant maintenance and oversight prevent many of the issues — like work stoppages and freight backups — that plague rail transportation in the U.S. 

Furthermore, Europe’s inter-city rail transportation, exemplified by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, stands out as a highly cost-effective and efficient medium of transportation. Plans are underway to expand Europe’s rail transportation network to encompass 230 metropolitan areas, providing 60% of Europeans with direct access to high-speed rail services. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a four-hour delay on an Amtrak train from St. Louis to Chicago is the norm. In fact, the Eurostar service from London to Paris covers the 300-mile journey in less than two hours. The journey from St. Louis to Chicago, also 300 miles, can be up to a staggering nine hours after factoring for delays. 

While Amtrak does have a high-speed intercity rail line from New York City to D.C. named Acela, real-world speeds only get up to 75mph, mainly due to old tracks and outdated signaling systems. 

Many Americans are eager to see the realization of high-speed rail sooner rather than later. A 2015 survey conducted by TechnoMetrica for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) showed that 63% of respondents said they would use high-speed rail if available. That number jumps to 67% when informed of the various cost and time-saving benefits of high-speed rail. Congestion of U.S. highways costs an average of $130 billion a year in lost productivity, with this number only expected to grow as more drivers hit the roads. A 2012 study, also by the APTA, showed that over 40 years, high-speed rail services can generate a net benefit of around $660 million annually with $26.4 billion in economic benefits over the next four decades.

While the federal government has been taking steps in the right direction, the effects of rail investment have yet to be seen. The Obama administration helped fund $2.4 billion in high-speed rail projects in California, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Florida. However, considering that it has been 14 years since the funding was appropriated, most of the projects were simply a lost cause — California attempted an inter-city high-speed rail system from LA to San Francisco, but the project quickly soared through its budget and left the state begging for more. 

Despite some Republicans blocking infrastructure bills containing funding for railways, former President Trump at least attempted to fund improvements in America’s rail system. Early in his presidency, Trump crossed historical party lines and acknowledged that the initial costs of a project would eventually pay itself off. Most recently, President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment in Jobs Act can potentially supply up to $100 billion in railway funding. Despite this, however, most of the funding is going towards improving the already deteriorating U.S. rail system, let alone high-speed rail.

Many Americans are eager to see the realization of high-speed rail sooner rather than later.

However, despite setbacks to nationally funded rail, Florida’s Brightline passenger rail service showcases an efficient transportation system. Privately funded, Brightline operates from Orlando to Miami with modern conventional trains. Utilizing dedicated passenger rail tracks, Brightline can reach speeds of up to 125mph and runs consistently, with the 260-mile trip taking 3.5 hours, significantly faster than Amtrak. Despite its $6 billion cost and four-year completion time, Brightline offers insight into a successful inter-city rail system, though replicating it in other locations is an improbable task.

Unless a definitive plan can be figured out by both sides of the political spectrum, as well as key players in the U.S. railway industry, a U.S. Eurostar is still an unfortunate lightyear away.