The U.S. is witnessing an explosion of interest in high-speed railways, and superfast lines are taking shape in several parts of the country, but America is playing catch-up with many countries, especially China.
In April, construction began on America’s first high-speed rail line, which will transport passengers between Las Vegas and southern California along 218 miles of track. A number of other projects have been proposed, including plans for high-speed rail lines linking Dallas to Houston and Fort Worth in Texas.
The U.S. is witnessing an explosion of interest in high-speed railways, and superfast lines are taking shape in several parts of the country, but America is playing catch-up with many countries, especially China.
In April, construction began on America’s first high-speed rail line, which will transport passengers between Las Vegas and southern California along 218 miles of track. A number of other projects have been proposed, including plans for high-speed rail lines linking Dallas to Houston and Fort Worth in Texas.
These developments are no doubt stimulating aspirations for similar projects at other major hubs, such as Chicago.
However, the U.S. high-speed rail network remains a minnow compared to China, its main geopolitical competition, which boasts more miles of high-speed rail line than any other country.
According to Statista, in 2021 the Chinese high-speed rail network stretched to 25,000 miles and in 2019, 2.3 billion individual journeys were made on its lines, equating roughly 63 percent of all passenger rail travel in China.
By contrast, the U.S. has yet to open a high-speed rail line, generally defined as tracks which carry passenger trains between 124 and 220 mph.
Construction on America’s first high-speed rail line isn’t expected to be completed until 2028, when Los Angeles is due to host the Olympic Games.
The line is being built by Brightline West, which says trains will be capable of up to 200 mph, from Las Vegas to Cucamonga in southern California, taking a minimum expected time of two hours and ten minutes. Each train should be able to carry 500 passengers according to a Fox 11 report.
Unlike in the U.S., where private industry has a key role, in China almost all railway networks are controlled by the China State Railway Group, formerly the China Railway Corporation. In 2021, the state-run company recorded a net profit of 4.8 billion yuan, about $664 million, though it had yet to regain its pre-coronavirus figures.
Source: Newsweek
