High-speed rail projects under construction in the United States
- The fastest trains in the United States can travel at 150 mph, while trains in China and France can travel at over 200 mph.
- Projects across the country hope to fill the gap, since the most recent infrastructure bill put $66 billion for railroads.
- Some high-speed trains, such as Brightline Florida, will open in the summer, while others are farther into the future.
America is not known for its high-speed trains.
Trains in China, Europe and Japan travel at more than 200 miles per hour. In the US, on the other hand, Amtrak’s Acela (the fastest train in the country) has a top speed of 150 mph and will only reach 160 mph once the next generation of trains hit the line.
Once it begins carrying passengers this summer, Brightline trains on a stretch of track near Orlando, Fla., will hit a top speed of 125 mph, the minimum speed required for a train running on standard track to be considered high speed. International Union of Railways.
Still, there is an effort to catch up, with President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law plowing $66 billion into railroads and many private high-speed rail projects underway.
Take a look at high-speed rail projects in the United States in various stages of development: