Increasingly, countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa are turning to fast electric trains to connect rapidly urbanizing areas in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. High-speed rail technology has progressed from its origins over 40-60 years ago, and it now supports speeds approaching 400 kilometers per hour (260 mph) and more intelligent safety systems. Policymakers in the US have long voiced desires for similar domestic developments, and last week’s announcements are significant for high-speed rail going forward. Currently, only limited stretches of the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts support sustained speeds of up to 150 or 160 mph.

High-speed rail has historically been a challenge for the US due in large part to the technical demands of the systems. Typically, high-speed rail tracks must be on a separate right-of-way with extremely limited curvature and have overhead electrification. Acquiring new rights-of-way and obtaining necessary environmental clearances often be a litigious process, Infrastructure costs have exploded in recent years, making the construction of a fully grade-separated and electrified railway line cost-intensive.

For President Biden, rail has long been an area of personal importance. He was a regular commuter between Wilmington and Washington on the Northeast Regional intercity service during his 36 years in the United States Senate. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which he signed into law two years ago, seeks to substantially expand intercity passenger service, especially for areas outside the Northeast through two new structured programs: Corridor Identification and Development Program (Corridor ID) and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (FSP-National). Corridor ID aims to facilitate initial planning and the service development plan, as well as preliminary engineering/environmental review. Projects that successfully move through the process and move to being “shovel-ready” are eligible for grants such as FSP-National to aid in construction. The new grant programs aim to encourage development of new passenger rail by shifting more of the cost burden to the federal government.

West

California High-Speed Rail

California High-Speed Rail is the country’s first new-build project. It was approved by voters in 2008, on a promise of connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco (Phase 1) in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Since then, it’s struggled to make progress in a timely manner, with drawn out and politically fraught planning and funding processes. Environmental review is still ongoing for parts of Phase 1. In recent years, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA) has scaled back its initial plans to a segment between the Central Valley cities of Merced and Bakersfield, approximately 171 miles apart, now expected to open in 2030:

CAHSRA is relying substantially on the IIJA and anticipates receiving up to $8 billion from it in coming years:

This year, CAHSRA applied for funds from the IIJA through FSP-National. They were awarded $3 billion of the $3.75 billion they requested and expect to use the funds to acquire six electric trainsets, construct train testing facilities, design and build a station in Fresno, acquire remaining right-of-way, finalize design, and fund a second track in the corridor. CAHSRA was also awarded up to $500,000 through Corridor ID, with the purpose of “[developing] a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing, completing, or documenting [a] service development plan”. It’s unclear how exactly these funds will be applied, as California High-Speed Rail has progressed far beyond the steps of the Corridor ID program; preliminary planning, engineering, and environmental review are substantially complete for Phase 1. 

Brightline West 

Brightline is a private company that formed about a decade ago to launch a new intercity rail service between Miami and Orlando. That service, which uses modern diesel-electric trains and operates mostly on a legacy rail line, began partially operating in January 2018 and fully opened in September 2023. While Brightline has been working to further expand the service to Tampa, they have also had an eye on expansion outside of Florida. In September 2018, Brightline acquired XpressWest, a company that had been trying for years to develop high-speed rail between southern California and Las Vegas. XpressWest had completed the federal environmental review process in 2011, proposing an alignment that connected Las Vegas with Victorville, 64 miles northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, along the Interstate 15 corridor. Electric trains would run at speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph). Subsequently, Brightline sought federal approval for extending the rail line from Victorville south through the Cajon Pass to the Inland Empire city of Rancho Cucamonga, where travelers could transfer to Metrolink commuter trains to Los Angeles or San Bernadino:

Brightline West received full environmental clearance earlier this year and has been seeking funding to commence construction. They received $3 billion of the $3.75 billion they requested through FSP-National, with the Nevada Department of Transportation sponsoring their grant application. The grant covers approximately one-quarter of the $12 billion the project needs; much of the remainder is expected to be generated from private activity bonds sold through California and Nevada. Construction is expected to take four years, putting a potential opening in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Brightline West also received $500,000 in the Corridor ID program.

High Desert Corridor

The final high-speed rail grant for the western United States is a Corridor ID grant for the High Desert Corridor. This rail line was originally intended to serve as a connection between the line from Las Vegas and California High-Speed Rail from Bakersfield/Los Angeles:

California High-Speed Rail’s severe delays and Brightline West’s decision to pursue the Cajon Pass line have effectively put High Desert on the backburner. The Antelope Valley Transit Authority, which serves the Lancaster and Palmdale areas, applied for and received an up to $500,000 Corridor ID grant to further planning of the line and ultimately move it to a shovel-ready stage.

Northwest

Cascadia High-Speed Rail

Over the last seven years, the Washington State Department of Transportation and British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure have engaged in discussions for a new high-speed rail service along the corridor from Portland to Vancouver. Following studies of economic impacts and business cases, the Washington State Legislature allocated matching funding for further study and directed WSDOT to apply for federal grants. The project has received up to $500,000 in Corridor ID grants.

Texas

Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail

Similar to Brightline West, Texas Central is a private venture seeking to construct a new-build high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston, with a stop in the Brazos Valley, near College Station. The company partnered with the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) to design the line for their latest generation high-speed trainset, the N700S Series Shinkansen. Following the completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS), the company faced issues obtaining funding and acquiring the right-of-way for the line, due to stringent opposition from local landowners. Legal battles ensued and concluded in 2022 at the Texas Supreme Court, which handed down a favorable ruling to Texas Central by deeming them eligible to exercise eminent domain over land. By that point however, legal issues had sapped momentum from the effort, and the company had lost much of its leadership and staff. The project emerged from life support in August 2023, as Amtrak announced a partnership with Texas Central to further study and advance the project. Amtrak was awarded up to $500,000 in Corridor ID funds to undertake this

study.

A similar grant of up to $500,000 from Corridor ID was awarded to the North Central Texas Council of Governments for exploring high-speed rail between Fort Worth and Houston. The wording of the grant suggests it could function as an extension of the Amtrak and Texas Central effort, from Dallas to Fort Worth.

Southeast

Atlanta to Charlotte High-Speed Rail

In 2019, the Georgia Department of Transportation concluded its Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement of a high-speed rail connection between Atlanta and Charlotte, preferring a new-build greenfield corridor that could support 350 km/h (220 mph) operation:

Since then, there has not been much action taken on the project, until now. North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has received $500,000 in Corridor ID funds to study the project further and advance it. 

Raleigh to Richmond Rail

While not technically a high-speed rail project, the S-Line construction grant awarded to North Carolina and Virginia deserves an honorable mention. The $1 billion it received from FSP-National will go towards rebuilding tracks in Virginia on a slightly realigned and grade-separated corridor that will initially support speeds of 110 mph. Further improvements down the line, such as additional straightening and electrification could allow for even higher speeds.