High Speed Rail Systems in the US: Challenges & Outlook
A booming transportation technology replacing air travel around the world, high speed rail (HSR) technology has been providing for the transit of millions of people daily while also producing significantly less CO2 emissions than traditional options. HSR initially emerged in Japan in the 1960s, later becoming known as the “bullet train” which can travel about 200 miles per hour. Soon after, many European countries followed, with China eventually joining in the deployment of national high speed rail networks.
High speed rail systems differ globally, and there is no official definition; but there is consensus that trains traveling at speeds between 190 and 220 miles per hour are “high speed.” While many developed countries have created intricate and effective domestic rail systems, there is one developed country that is falling behind: the United States.
Currently, there is no national HSR system connecting cities and states. Amtrak’s Acela service operating between Boston and DC only has an average speed of 66 mph and reaches 150 mph at its top speed on a 16-mile track between New Brunswick and South Brunswick in New Jersey. However, there are some regional HSR projects that are in the works, a few others that have recently begun service. These include Brightline Florida which began service from Miami to Tampa in 2023, another Brightline project in the West will connect Las Vegas to Los Angeles, the Texas Central project between Houston and Dallas, Cascade Rail which would link Vancouver to Portland via Seattle,and the California High Speed Rail project already under construction which will eventually connect Sacramento to San Diego.
A newer technology that has increased both the speed and efficiency of trains has also been deployed in a few countries. This technology is known as magnetic levitation, or “maglev,” which uses magnetic forces to guide/propel a vehicle over a certain path. Currently, this innovative technology is only in service in Japan and China. As of now, there are no maglev trains in the US, but there is a project in its environmental review phase which could potentially be the first maglev service in the US.
Whether maglev or traditional HSR, these projects face several hurdles in getting off the ground and getting passengers moving. The US can learn from countries like Japan on how to build a significant, reliable, and safe HSR system.
High Speed Rail Systems Across the Globe
Japan
Japan has one of the most advanced high speed rail transportation systems in the world. After all, it is the birthplace of modern high speed rail. The Japanese call their HSR rail system the Shinkansen, or the “bullet train,” and the country boasts nine HSR lines that travel up to 200 mph, connecting 22 major cities across three primary islands. It is also the largest and safest HSR system in terms of passengers, moving about 420,000 people on a daily basis with no fatal accidents ever recorded in its history of operating.
Japan is also currently building new maglev lines and testing trains to observe the highest and safest possible land speeds. The Chuo Shinkansen, a new maglev train project, is currently under construction in Japan and is expected to link Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027. Although there are other maglev lines around the world, Japan’s will be the fastest with its maximum test speed being recorded at 375 mph. The new Chuo Shinkansen line is expected to have a route that can take passengers between Tokyo and Nagoya in only about 40 minutes, and the maglev line will eventually be extended to link Tokyo to Osaka – a distance of 100 miles more than that of New York to DC – in about an hour. The extension will be finished in 2045.
China
China might not have invested in HSR systems as early as other countries, but it has made an astounding amount of progress in the past 15 years. In the 1990s, China began developing a rail model system inspired by the Japanese system. Operations began in 2008, with trains reaching speeds of up to 217 mph. Since then, China has continued to expand its system which is currently the largest in the world. Their system is expected to reach a total of about 23,600 miles by 2025. The Chinese government has invested millions in HSR in order to connect major economic zones in China while cutting emissions and decreasing travel times. China has also managed to develop significant capabilities for domestic production of HSR technologies, resulting in millions of jobs created.
China only has one short maglev line in service connecting Shanghai’s Pudong Airport with the Longyang Road station in the city, traveling about 19 miles in seven and a half minutes. It is the first ever project of its kind in China, but there are currently other projects in the construction phase as testing results in building larger, more expanded maglev lines throughout the country. Researchers are also working to develop more efficient maglev and aerospace technologies so that the train system speeds can compete with airplane speeds.
EU
What makes the HSR system in the European Union fascinating is that it connects various countries on the Western part of the continent, creating an effective and efficient international railway system that crosses borders. Many Western and Central European countries also have very efficient domestic railway systems, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and more.
France was the first European country to build a domestic HSR system. Their Lignes à grande vitesse (LGV) is managed by the national railway system and can run at speeds of up to 200 mph. Many of the other railway systems in Europe use French standards.
Although Germany followed France’s suit by building a national system in the 1990s, it created its own set of HSR standards. This system is known as the Inter-City Express (ICE), traveling at speeds of up to 300 km/hr, links all of Germany’s major cities while also extending service into neighboring countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Spain and Italy have similar high speed trains that travel within the same range of speed and connect to various neighboring countries.
Even though there are no existing maglev projects in Europe, the continent has still managed to be a world leader in interconnected high speed rail systems, reducing emissions from air travel and connecting European citizens within the Schengen zone.
Getting the US on Track
Out of all of the developed countries, the US is one of the few that has not managed to build an interconnected high speed rail system that can connect its citizens. While there are some regional projects like Brightline Florida, they are fairly new technologies and have not managed to be incorporated in many other parts of the country. When it comes to rail in the US, top speeds are not comparable to systems in countries like Japan or China. Only 33.9 miles of the current US passenger rail network is considered “high-speed,” or capable of reaching speeds of 150 mph.
The 2021 Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) secured a significant investment in the country’s rail program, providing about $80 billion for rail. A large portion of that funding went to Amtrak, which still operates at speeds well below the international standard of HSR. It’s expected that a large portion of this funding will go to support repair of existing rail lines – Amtrak has operated at a loss and has been calculated by some to cost $100 billion. During the negotiations of the INVEST in America Act, the House-passed version had included $30 million for the forward-looking Passenger Rail Improvement, Modernization, and Expansion (PRIME) grant program; however, that funding ultimately was not included in the final IIJA.
Currently, the US has no operating maglev system. However, the Maglev Deployment Program, inspired by the vision of Senator Daniel Moynihan (D-NY), was established in 2001 to create such a system. The program saw a whittling down of proposals until one – the Northeast Maglev –remained. That project will connect DC and New York City in just one hour, as well connecting other popular destinations along the Northeast. Currently in Phase 1, it will connect DC and Baltimore in just 15 minutes and include a stop at BWI Airport. Maglev projects like this one have the potential to transform transportation in the US, facilitating regional travel for passengers and reducing regional air travel and congestion on highways in metropolitan areas.
There are many reasons why the US has fallen behind in HSR. A tedious bureaucratic permitting system across multiple federal agencies causes significant delays. Agencies can take years to review permits for rail projects, especially if they cross state lines. For example, the permitting for the Brightline West project took about six years to review. The environmental review process was designed for stopping bad projects to be built but has resulted in preventing even good projects from getting off the grounds.
The “Not In My Backyard” or NIMBY phenomenon is yet another reason for America’s underdeveloped rail infrastructure. Once a state or land area has been proposed for a rail project, there might be objections from the state or the community. This causes a delay and a potential remapping of the project, which would cause yet another permitting process to begin.
Potential Solutions for Facilitating HSR & Maglev Projects
While there are some obstacles limiting HSR advancement in the US, that does not mean that HSR is off the table yet. There are multiple potential solutions that can both fund and facilitate the construction or update of railways. In terms of government funding, the IIJA fund – about $102 billion total from FY22-FY26 for rail programs – have had some recent successes. Leveraging that funding could be used to implement new programs to modernize some of the slower, more outdated rail infrastructure in the US.
Streamlining the permitting process is yet another way to address the delays in rail projects. A more ideal approach would be a permitting bill that would impose limits on the permitting periods in order to produce permits more quickly. While some efforts for permitting reform have been led by some in Congress like Senator Manchin (D-WV), a bill on permitting reform has not yet managed to get across the finish line.
Provided that private companies have the funds to build efficient HSR systems, they still need government support. Therefore, forming public-private partnerships is vital to the development of HSR in the US. There are several benefits to public-private partnerships: securing funds for construction, streamlining the permitting process, providing agency insight and resources to minimize risks, and providing the confidence of the government in the project to further secure private investment.
Conclusion & Outlook
While the US currently has a vast rail network, implementing HSR will require more than just the current repairs and maintenance approach. New HSR technologies like maglev will require the transformation and modernization of rail. Private investment offers opportunities for successful HSR projects, but they will still require government support in order to get across the finish line.
To achieve that vision of being a leader in transportation and technology, there needs to be a quicker, more efficient permitting review process. Processes will need to be streamlined, likely by congressional actions.
Although the US is immense in terms of land area, the country could still benefit significantly from creating regional HSR networks, from the Brightline projects to Texas Central to the Northeast Maglev. Projects like these will introduce a quicker, safer, more environmentally friendly form of transportation for Americans.