High-Speed Rail




As of 2014, there were 182,000 miles (234,000 km) of railway in the United States. Of these, the only route to be considered “high-speed” is roughly 28 miles (45 km) of the Acela Express line connecting South Station in Boston and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The United States currently ranks 22nd in the world for high-speed rail infrastructure, and is likely to fall further behind.

In 2009, the Federal Railroad Administration laid down plans to establish 10 high-speed railway corridors across the US. These proposed corridors are detailed in the map below. These corridors are currently in various states of planning, with the earliest completion (The California Corridor) currently scheduled for 2029. 




High-speed rail in the US remains a lofty goal in the face of initiatives that have stalled repeatedly over the past few decades. High-speed rail was first proposed in response to the unveiling of the Shinkansen (aka bullet train) high-speed rail network back in the 60’s, and not much has occurred in the generations following. Since then, high-speed rail has seen massive investment in areas like China, Europe, and the Middle East, which has promoted ease of transport across the globe. In fact, this may be one new technology where America has every need to play catch-up. Pending the success of current efforts in the US, ease of travel throughout the country could change significantly. Then again, if the Boring Company has anything to say about it, the US could be ready to leapfrog high-speed rail into something different altogether.


by: nur fatihah nabilah

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