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71-575: As of December 2023, a total of 69 passenger rail corridors have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program. Of these, 7 are new high-speed rail routes, 34 are new conventional rail routes, 13 are existing routes with proposed extensions, and 15 are existing routes with proposed upgrades. For example, accepted projects include Brightline West high-speed rail, the Northern Lights Express from Minneapolis to Duluth,

142-589: A 1921 crash at Porter, Indiana , in which a derail failed to stop one passenger train that had already passed through two red lights from crashing into another at a level junction , killing 37, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ordered almost a hundred railroads to install automatic train stops by the end of 1925. The railroads opposed the ICC vigorously, noting that stopping longer freights that way might lead to derailments . As

213-760: A cabinet-level Department of Transportation. Halaby proposed merging the responsibilities of the undersecretary of commerce for transportation and the Federal Aviation Agency to achieve this goal. While the federal government was granted authority over aviation and railroads through the commerce clause of the Constitution, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration primarily provided funding for state and local projects, without significant influence over road construction and operation. Halaby emphasized

284-508: A dedicated high-speed rail line between Washington, D.C., and Boston. He estimated it would cost $ 151 billion and take more than 25 years to design and build the line. The proposed rail line would allow for top speeds of 220 mph (350 km/h). Amtrak officials released a concept report for next-generation high-speed rail within the Northeast Corridor (NEC) on October 1, 2010. Amtrak projected planning and construction of

355-443: A dedicated high-speed rail line which limits its average speed; it reaches a maximum speed of 150 mph (240 km/h) on small sections of its route through Rhode Island and Massachusetts . The travel time between Washington and New York is 2 hours and 53 minutes (compared to 2 hours and 30 minutes for PRR 's nonstop Metroliner in 1969), or an average speed of 79 mph (127 km/h). In September 2019, Amtrak launched

426-605: A high-speed rail line. However, there are plans to upgrade those stretches of track to Class 6 trackage, in which passenger trains can reach speeds up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h), similar to portions of other passenger rail routes in the United States such as Lincoln Service between Chicago and St. Louis and portions of the Brightline West between West Palm Beach and Cocoa, Florida. As of 2024, funding has yet to be available. The Pacific Northwest Corridor or

497-481: A more attractive option for passengers. A study conducted by the International Union of Railways indicated that high-speed trains produced one fifth as much CO 2 as automobiles and jet aircraft. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 dedicated $ 8 billion to intercity rail, with priority for high-speed projects. In 2012, then- Amtrak president Joseph Boardman proposed a plan to build

568-605: A new field of interest. They were officially added to the definition of "railroad" in 1988, and were studied repeatedly. Five high-speed corridors were officially endorsed in October 1992 following passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 . TEA-21 and other legislation continued to be passed with mentions of high-speed rail, but lacking funding or real direction. Nevertheless, no new high-speed service

639-462: A nonstop New York to Washington which completes the trip in 2 hours and 35 minutes for an average speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). Schedule between New York and Boston is 3 hours 34 minutes, an average speed of only 63 mph (101 km/h). With a 15-minute layover in New York, the entire end-to-end trip averages 68 mph (109 km/h). The largest project for American high-speed rail

710-478: A red, he still had space to stop the train had he applied his full brakes at the red. As a result, the ICC decided the time had come to force the issue of train control. For the first time it set national rail speed limits . In 1947 it ordered that automatic block signaling be used where freight traveled at more than 49 mph (79 km/h) and on passenger lines where trains went faster than 59 mph (95 km/h). This rule remains in force today. While

781-421: A result, the requirement was revised to allow waivers for certain lines, and rarely enforced as the debate continued without any real resolution over the next two decades; in the meantime passenger fatalities began declining as the automobile emerged as a transportation option. During the 1930s railroads began to develop lightweight, diesel-powered streamlined trains which provided even faster running times than

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852-445: A top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) and are usually not considered high-speed rail. Brightline, while marketing itself as high-speed rail, more closely meets the definition of higher-speed rail. Despite having a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) along 20 miles (32 km) of newly built track, most of the route is limited to a top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h) due to the presence of grade crossings. As of 2024 ,

923-728: Is a 349 mi (562 km) rail corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh , composed of two different rail lines, the Amtrak Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Line . Between Philadelphia and Harrisburg the Amtrak line is electrified and grade separation was completed in 2014. Between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh the Norfolk Southern owned line

994-590: Is a proposed high-speed railway to connect New York City to Boston in one hour, 40 minutes. The proposed railway would run across Long Island and tunnel under the Long Island Sound . The project, consisting of two phases, is estimated to cost a total of $ 105 billion as of 2023, which would be among the most expensive public works projects in United States history, and take 20 years to complete. The first phase, costing $ 23.5 billion, would: New York has been actively discussing high-speed rail service since

1065-763: Is expected to open in 2028 in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics . Following the awarding of a $ 3 billion federal grant in December 2023, construction is currently underway. Although the Surf Line between Los Angeles to San Diego, which hosts the Pacific Surfliner and commuter rail routes such as Metrolink and Coaster, has portions in Orange County and San Diego County that contains Class 5 trackage, which passenger trains can reach speeds up to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), it would not be considered

1136-660: Is initially granted $ 500,000 toward project planning activities. Projects proceed through three steps: This list is current as of December 2023. A total of 69 passenger rail corridors spanning 44 states have been accepted into the Corridor ID Program. High-speed rail in the United States Plans for high-speed rail in the United States date back to the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 . Various state and federal proposals have followed. Despite being one of

1207-706: Is no current rail service in the United States which meets all of the domestic criteria for high-speed rail. Amtrak 's Acela is classified as "higher-speed rail" in the Congressional Research Service report by virtue of being on shared tracks, whereas page 5 of that report also requires dedicated tracks to be classified as "very high-speed rail". In China, high-speed rail is officially defined as "newly-built passenger-dedicated rail lines designed for electrical multiple unit (EMU) train sets traveling at not less than 250 km/h (155 mph) (including lines with reserved capacity for upgrade to

1278-772: Is the California High-Speed Rail network, which was authorized by voters with Proposition 1A in 2008. In August 2013, the Tutor Perini Corporation signed a $ 1-billion contract to begin construction of the first phase in 2014. Construction began in early 2015. High-speed rail development was a goal of the Obama administration which came into office in January 2009. Higher jet fuel prices, congested airports and highways, and increasing airport security rules have combined to make high-speed rail

1349-492: Is the lead agency charged with planning and implementing the system. The state was awarded $ 2.55 billion in funding from the federal government in 2010. Since the passage of Proposition 1A, cost estimates for the project have risen due to increased planning and disputes over routes. Ridership projections have faced scrutiny by a number of groups including the Reason Foundation. In May 2013, with cost estimates double

1420-788: Is used for freight transportation. In 1999, the Keystone Corridor was formally recognized as a "designated high-speed corridor" by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) . The line, over which Amtrak's Pennsylvanian and Keystone Service routes operate, was upgraded in 2006 with two segments of 110 mph (180 km/h) track. These trains are higher-speed rail services between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, with express service taking 95–100 minutes over 103.6 mi (166.7 km). California Proposition 1A, passed in November 2008, authorized

1491-468: The Acela , a new tilting train manufactured by Alstom and Bombardier , was ordered. The new service ran on the Northeast Corridor , linking Boston , New York City , Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington, D.C. The service was inaugurated in December 2000, and was an immediate success, operated at a profit and as of 2012 , it produced about 25% of Amtrak's total service revenue. The Acela lacks

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1562-662: The Heartland Flyer extension from Oklahoma City to Newton, and frequency increases for the Cardinal and Sunset Limited . The $ 1.8 billion Corridor ID Program was authorized by Congress with the passage of the IIJA in November 2021 and was formally established in May 2022. The FRA began soliciting its first round of applications in December 2022 and made its first selection of 69 corridors in December 2023. The purpose of

1633-647: The California High-Speed Rail Authority is working on the California High-Speed Rail project and construction is under way on sections traversing the Central Valley . The Central Valley section, between Merced and Bakersfield , is planned to begin passenger service by 2030. Brightline West is a privately operated route that is currently under construction between the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in

1704-531: The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $ 16.4 billion for 25 projects of significance along the Northeast Corridor , rebuilding tunnels and bridges, upgrading tracks, power systems, signals, stations, and other infrastructure. In 2024, following continuous efforts by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law , the Federal Railroad Administration made $ 2 billion available for projects along the Northeast Corridor . The North Atlantic Rail

1775-537: The Greater Los Angeles area, with service set to begin by 2028. Both projects received funding following the awarding of a federal grant of about $ 3 billion for each. Authorities in the United States maintain various definitions of high-speed rail. The United States Department of Transportation , an entity in the executive branch , defines it as rail service with top speeds ranging from 110 to 150 miles per hour (180 to 240 km/h) or higher, while

1846-655: The New York Central 's " Super Hudsons " as used on the 20th Century Limited ; the Milwaukee Road 's purpose-built Atlantics and Hudsons used in Hiawatha service; the Pennsylvania Railroad 's duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 type T1 locomotives , and two Union Pacific engines, a 4-6-2 and a 4-8-2, used on the "Forty Niner" and other trains. The debate over signaling and train control between

1917-593: The North Central Texas Council of Governments uses the definition of speeds over 150 mph (240 km/h), and the Texas Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation use speeds of 165 mph (266 km/h) or more. These agencies have a separate category for higher-speed rail which can be a wide range of speeds between 80 mph (130 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h). The development of

1988-577: The United States Code , which is the official codification of Federal statutes, defines it as rail service "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour". A legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress , the Congressional Research Service , used different terms to clarify the confusion by defining rail services with top speeds less than 150 mph (240 km/h) to be higher-speed rail . There

2059-757: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 's Metro Silver Line to connect Washington, D.C., and the Washington Dulles International Airport (DOT had previously agreed to subsidize the Silver Line construction to Reston, Virginia ). President Barack Obama 's budget request for 2010 also included $ 1.83 billion in funding for major transit projects. More than $ 600 million went towards ten new or expanding transit projects. The budget provided additional funding for all of

2130-539: The president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet . The department's fiscal year 2022–2026 strategic plan states that its mission is "to deliver the world's leading transportation system, serving the American people and economy through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods." In 1965, Najeeb Halaby , the chief of the independent Federal Aviation Agency strongly urged President Lyndon Johnson to set up

2201-558: The 1990s, but thus far little progress has been made. Amtrak Acela service between Washington, D.C. , and Boston is available to New York City , but other cities remain isolated from high-speed rail service. Further, destinations outside the New York metropolitan area have been plagued by delayed service for decades. Nonetheless, New York has been quietly endorsing and even implementing rail improvements for years. Closer and faster railroad transportation links between New York City and

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2272-628: The 250 km/h standard), on which initial service operate at not less than 200 km/h (124 mph)." In Europe the definition of a minimum speed for newly built high-speed railways is 250 km/h (155 mph); for upgraded high-speed railways it is 200 km/h (124 mph). In places where high-speed rail programs are in earlier developmental stages or where substantial speed increases are achieved by upgrading current infrastructure and/or introducing more advanced trains, lower minimum speed definitions of high-speed rail are used. Directive 2008/57/EC defines high-speed rail in terms of speeds of

2343-427: The 450,000 lb f (2,000 kN) European regulations mandate. This results in American passenger cars being heavier. In the 19th century, most long-distance travel in the United States was by horse-drawn wagon, or water vessels. At the end of the century, rail started to supplant these modes of travel, and during the pre-WWII period rail had become the preeminent mode of long-distance travel. Rail transportation

2414-792: The American rail network during the 19th century created structural impediments to the adoption of high-speed rail in the latter half of the 20th that were not present in Europe and Asia. Freight on American railroads had to travel vastly longer distances, so railroads developed longer cars that could be joined into longer trains. In contrast to Europe, these freights traveled past very few older buildings that were at risk of structural damage from vibrations created by heavy passing trains. Even today, American freight cars and their contents may be as heavy as 286,000 lb (130,000 kg), while their European counterparts are limited to 190,000 lb (86,000 kg). With such long and heavy freights often sharing

2485-555: The California High-Speed Rail Authority had only about $ 12.7 billion - approximately one-eighth of the funding required. Governor Gavin Newsom has still expressed support for the project despite the funding shortfall, reduced scope, and swelling costs, which by 2023 were estimated in $ 128 billion. XpressWest, a private undertaking begun in 2005 to build a high-speed service to Las Vegas , Nevada ,

2556-455: The Corridor ID Program is to identify potential passenger rail expansion projects and to provide seed funding for planning stages. Construction and operational funding are not included. Eligible entities are invited to submit projects for consideration. Such entities include Amtrak , regional rail authorities, states, groups of state, state subdivisions, regional planning organizations, and federally recognized tribes . Once selected, each corridor

2627-652: The Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor is one of eleven federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States . It was designated a high-speed rail by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Improvements proposed in Washington State's long range plan would have had passenger trains operating at a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) on line. The Cascadia high-speed rail

2698-589: The U.S. had not suffered the infrastructure damage it had inflicted on Europe and Japan, it had also developed its road network, leading to the creation of the Interstate Highway System after the war, giving prosperous citizens an efficient way to use the cars they were buying. Europe and Japan, by contrast, had largely not begun to build highway networks and had seen heavy damage to their rail systems. With their citizens impoverished as they rebuilt their economies, and unable to afford automobiles to

2769-553: The common engines and passenger cars of the day, as the "Zephyr" was constructed using stainless steel and the M-10000 chiefly of the aircraft alloy Duralumin . On May 26, 1934, the Zephyr made a record-breaking "Dawn to Dusk" run from Denver to Chicago. The train covered the distance in 13 hours, reaching a top speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and running at an average speed of 77.6 mph (124.9 km/h). The railroad

2840-510: The existing shoreline route, a route through Hartford, Connecticut , and a route out along Long Island which would traverse a new bridge or tunnel across Long Island Sound to Connecticut. On July 12, 2017, the Federal Railroad Administration revealed the record of decision for the project. The proposed upgrades have not been funded. In 2013, Japanese officials pitched the country's maglev train technology,

2911-623: The extent Americans could, those countries invested in rail as the primary means of intercity travel. Following the creation of Japan's first high-speed Shinkansen , U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson asked the U.S. Congress to devise a way to increase speeds on American railroads. The request was part of his Great Society infrastructure building initiatives. Congress delivered the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 which passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support. It helped to create regular Metroliner service between New York City and Washington, D.C. , inaugurated in 1969. Trains on

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2982-456: The first train had had it stopped in the town outside Chicago because he thought something was dragging; within two minutes it was struck from behind by another traveling at 86 mph (138 km/h), killing 45. The engineer of the second train survived the crash, and claimed he had not seen the signal in time to stop his train. Investigation showed that even if he had missed the yellow light going on, warning him to slow down in anticipation of

3053-456: The government." Johnson convinced Congress to act and The Department of Transportation was authorized in October 1966 and launched on 1 April 1967, with a mission to ensure that federal funds were effectively used to support the national transportation program. Johnson proclaimed upon signing the act: "Transportation has truly emerged as a significant part of our national life. As a basic force in our society, its progress must be accelerated so that

3124-724: The line reached speeds of 125 mph (201 km/h) and averaged 90 mph (140 km/h) along the route, faster than even Acela trains operated between the cities of New York and Washington in 2012. The Metroliner was able to travel from New York to Washington in just 2.5 hours because it did not make any intermediate stops. U.S. federal and state governments continued to revisit the idea of fast trains. The Passenger Railroad Rebuilding Act of 1980 led to funding of high-speed corridor studies in 1984. Private-sector consortia intending to build high-speed lines were created in Florida, Ohio, Texas, California, and Nevada. Maglev trains became

3195-548: The maximum speed supported by the NEC. In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration began developing a master plan for bringing high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor titled NEC FUTURE, and released the final environmental impact statement in December 2016. The proposed alignment would closely follow the existing NEC south of New York City; multiple potential alignments north of New York City were studied, including

3266-562: The most common international definition of high-speed rail (speeds above 155 mph (250 km/h) on newly built lines and speeds above 124 mph (200 km/h) on upgraded lines), Amtrak 's Acela is the United States' only true high-speed rail service, reaching 150 mph (240 km/h) over 49.9 miles (80.3 km) of track along the Northeast Corridor . Acela trains will reach top speeds of 160 mph (255 km/h) when new trainsets enter service in 2024. Other services, like Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Brightline , have

3337-484: The nationwide effort to build a high-speed rail network. Florida legislature approved SunRail in a special session in late 2009, which along with work already completed on the originally proposed line between Tampa and Orlando , was instrumental in the state winning a significant amount of the total amount allotted to high-speed rail. Only California received more high-speed rail funding than Florida. In February 2011, Florida's newly elected governor Rick Scott cancelled

3408-459: The need for improved coordination and expressed frustration at the lack of an overall plan. "One looks in vain", he told Johnson, "for a point of responsibility below the President capable of taking an evenhanded, comprehensive, authoritarian approach to the development of transportation policies or even able to assure reasonable coordination and balance among the various transportation programs of

3479-709: The next-generation high-speed Northeast Corridor line to cost approximately $ 117 billion (2010 dollars) and reduce the travel time from New York to Washington, including a stop in Philadelphia, to 96 minutes, and the travel time from Boston to New York to 84 minutes by 2040. In 2012, Amtrak released the details of the proposal. The first of two phases envisions the NEC to be upgraded allowing Acela speed improvements. By 2022, Acela trainsets were to be replaced with new trainsets, named Avelia Liberty , but this has since been pushed out to 2024. The new trainsets will be limited to

3550-626: The order of 200 km/h (124 mph) for existing, upgraded lines, and 250 km/h (155 mph) for lines specially built for high-speed travel. This is the case in the United States. For transportation planning purposes focussing on the development of high-speed rail, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) distinguishes four types of intercity passenger rail corridors: State-level departments of transportation and council of governments may also use different definitions for high-speed rail. For examples,

3621-527: The original figures approved by the voters in 2008, opponents filed lawsuits intended to invalidate the $ 10 billion bond measures which were part of the financing of the rail line. By December 2018, the Authority had 119 miles (192 km) of right-of-way from Madera to near Bakersfield under contract and in construction. However, the estimated cost of a now scaled-down system had increased from $ 33.6 billion to $ 77.3 billion and, including federal funding,

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3692-580: The other 22,000 miles (35,000 km) where the rule applied, railroads instead ran their trains under the limit. This made intercity passenger rail an even less competitive option, accelerating its decline as automobile use was increasing and airlines were beginning to compete on longer routes. By the late 1950s many passenger routes that had existed at the time of the Naperville crash had been discontinued. The results of World War II shifted further high-speed rail technological development overseas. While

3763-636: The previous express trains. Two early streamliners were the Union Pacific M-10000 (nicknamed Little Zip and The City of Salina ) in revenue service between 1934 and 1942 and the Burlington Railroad's Zephyr . The design of the Zephyr incorporated a diesel-electric power system; the M-10000 used a spark-ignition engine running on "petroleum distillate", a fuel similar to kerosene. These trains were much lighter than

3834-413: The project. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood then announced he would be redirecting the funds intended for Florida to other states. United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation ( USDOT or DOT ) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government . It is headed by the secretary of transportation , who reports directly to

3905-495: The projects currently receiving Recovery Act funding, except for the bus rapid transit project. It also continued funding for another 18 transit projects that are either currently under construction or soon will be. Following the same, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 delegated $ 600 million for Infrastructure Investments, referred to as Discretionary Grants. The Department of Transportation

3976-689: The quality of our life can be improved." In 2012, the DOT awarded $ 742.5 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to 11 transit projects. The awardees include light rail projects. Other projects include both a commuter rail extension and a subway project in New York City , and a bus rapid transit system in Springfield, Oregon . The funds subsidize a heavy rail project in northern Virginia , completing

4047-534: The railroads and the ICC had never really been settled, just deferred as passenger deaths declined, in part due to more travelers using their automobiles for shorter commutes and an expanding and improving highway network. It ended in 1946, when one express passenger train crashed into another one that had stopped , both operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy , in Naperville, Illinois . The conductor of

4118-423: The railroads generally complied with this rule, affecting 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of track, they were not as tolerant of the ICC's additional requirement for ATS or cab signalling on passenger trains that exceeded 79 mph (127 km/h). Some railroads complied with the equipment requirement in part, and installed it on about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of track. This was what the ICC had hoped for. But on

4189-897: The rest of the state are frequently cited as a partial solution to Upstate's stagnant economic growth. Beginning in 2010, a study conducted by the New York State Department of Transportation identified 10 alternatives for improving the Empire Corridor . In early 2014, a Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released for public review and comments. The draft eliminated 5 of the alternatives, including those with top speeds of 160 and 220 mph (260 and 350 km/h). The remaining 5 build alternatives under consideration have top speeds of 79 mph (127 km/h) (the base alternative), 90 mph (140 km/h) (options A and B), 110 mph (180 km/h), and 125 mph (201 km/h). The Keystone Corridor

4260-422: The same tracks as passenger trains, it was necessary to require that passenger cars be able to withstand the higher impact forces of a collision. Axial strength standards, first required for the mail cars where clerks worked sorting mail en route and later applied to passenger cars, require that an American passenger car be able to withstand 800,000 pounds-force (3,600 kN) applied to either end, as opposed to

4331-477: The state to issue $ 9.95 billion in bonds to fund the first phase of a planned multi-phase high-speed rail network. Conventional steel-wheel on rail technology is the adopted mode with trains traveling at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour (350 km/h). Los Angeles to San Francisco via the Central Valley was expected to be the first phase of the network, though the initial operating segments have since become unclear. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)

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4402-451: The world's fastest, for the Northeast Corridor to regional U.S. politicians. The trains could travel from New York to Washington in an hour. Northeast Maglev , using SCMaglev technology developed by Central Japan Railway Company , is currently working with the FRA and MDOT to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. The project has received a $ 27.8 million grant from the FRA. In 2023,

4473-474: The world's first countries to get high-speed trains (the Metroliner service in 1969), it failed to spread. Definitions of what constitutes high-speed rail vary, including a range of speeds over 110 mph (180 km/h) and dedicated rail lines. Inter-city rail with top speeds between 90 and 125 mph (140 and 200 km/h) is sometimes referred to in the United States as higher-speed rail . Under

4544-593: Was a proposed dedicated high-speed rail line that would have connected Salem / Portland , Vancouver WA / Olympia / Tacoma / Seattle / Everett , and Bellingham, Washington . As of 2012, neither the Washington State Department of Transportation nor Oregon plan to implement speeds higher than 79 mph (127 km/h) due to safety and other freight service concerns voiced by the track owner, Union Pacific Railroad . The plan to provide high-speed and higher-speed rail services on this corridor

4615-532: Was acquired by Brightline in 2018 and its name changed to Brightline West . In April 2020, The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank approved $ 3.25 billion in tax-exempt private activity bonds for the project and acquired a 50-year lease from Caltrans for use of the Interstate 15 corridor . The line, from Rancho Cucamonga station to a station near the Las Vegas Strip ,

4686-476: Was added to the U.S. passenger rail system following the Metroliners. In 1993, the U.S. attempted to improve service between Boston and New York by electrifying the Northeast Corridor north of New Haven, Connecticut and buying new train sets to replace the 30-year-old Metroliners and run on the newly electrified route. Some existing trains (Swedish X 2000 and German ICE 1 ) were tested, but finally,

4757-542: Was authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2016 of $ 75.1 billion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows: In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . The $ 1.2 trillion act included over $ 660 billion in funding for transportation-related infrastructure projects over the five-year period of fiscal years 2022–2026. In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive

4828-514: Was estimated to be completed by early 2019. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has expressed his desire to see a Cascadia innovation corridor, linking together the main economic centers of the Pacific Northwest. Development of a high-speed rail system in Florida was mandated by a constitutional referendum in 2000 but taken off the books by another referendum in 2004. Florida resurrected its high-speed rail authority to capitalize on

4899-504: Was not high-speed by modern standards but inter-city travel often averaged speeds between 40 and 65 miles per hour (64 and 105 km/h). Most of the major railroads had faster than normal trains called "express" or "limited" on their mainline routes (e.g. the Empire State Express and the 20th Century Limited ) between major towns and cities. The development of faster trains faced indirect regulatory hurdles. After

4970-468: Was thus halted. Upgraded services would include the Amtrak Cascades , which operates along the corridor. In early 2018, Washington State pledged money to studying ultra-high-speed rail between Vancouver BC, Seattle, and Portland with 250 mph (400 km/h) speed operation. After a preliminary study, the state pledged $ 300,000 in funding and was shortly backed by British Columbia. The study

5041-549: Was unable to capitalize on this since the Depression had cut into the demand for intercity rail travel. Many steam locomotives were streamlined during this time to attract passengers, and the first steam streamlined locomotive was the New York Central's Commodore Vanderbilt . Some of these steam locomotives became very fast: some were said to exceed 120 mph (190 km/h) on a regular basis. Examples include

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