America's train network is preparing for a high-speed future

Billions in federal grant money will go into the planned upgrade

One of Amtrak's big beasts. Photo: Rashmee Roshan Lall

The US train network is preparing for an upgrade with the 2021 infrastructure law earmarking billions of dollars for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor’s Acela trains between Boston, New York and Washington DC as well California’s high-speed rail system and Brightline West’s Las Vegas-to-L.A. train.

It’s been a while coming. After all, Japan got its bullet trains 60 years ago and the first high-speed rail lines were built in Europe in the 1970s. Morocco, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea Taiwan, Turkey and the UK have also developed high speed rail infrastructure to connect major cities. This month, a high-speed line across Indonesia’s Java island will open. In this century, China has led the way on high-speed rail, with Wikipedia asserting that “as of 2023, its network accounted for over two-thirds of the world’s total”.

Now, the US wants a part of the action. Forbes’ Transportation correspondent Alan Ohnsman, reported that Mitch L…