The $140BN Race to Build America's First High-Speed Railway

This new plan for a US bullet train might actually work.

This video contains paid promotion for Brilliant.

Note: USD $140BN referenced in the title of this video represents the total amount of money that is being invested across all high speed railway projects across the US at the time of publication.

Additional footage and images courtesy of Brightline/Brightline West, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Amtrak, 8 News Now, Erik Wilhelm, Lionsgate, Scott Portier, Texas Central and The Roaming Railfan and Train Guru.

Research sources:

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[heyjakeay]

I reckon watching a 180mph train pass you while you're stuck in traffic on I-15 might be the biggest motivator for someone to try using it

[frontrowviews]

The thing the USA always gets wrong with intercity train travel is that you need local transit for it to be a viable alternative to driving. If you need to hire a car at each end to reach your destination, why not just take the car? You absolutely need local busses and tramlines to actually get people from point A to point B.

[marcussterling]

Took Amtrak from St Louis to Chicago, took 6 hours, about 90 minutes longer than driving, but the Mrs and I went up for a long weekend and only stayed around the lakefront, taking in all the museums and shops…..was great!!! NO parking fees and worries of getting into traffic jams.

[bmona]

I love trains because the stress of driving a car at a high way everyday for work is insane. Also there would be more job opportunities and makes it easier to apply to jobs in another city.

[JakeHillion]

Building in the highway median is a genius move for advertising - think of all the people stuck in traffic watching a 186mph train blast past!

[Avg-Usr]

The key commonality between the two Brightline projects can be summed up in one word: tourists. Brightline in Florida works because tourists can skip going back to MIA to catch a flight if you want to hit both Disney and Miami, and south Florida residents can go to the e theme parks without their cars. Linking LA and LV is also a no brainer if you think tourism instead of commuting.

[Wildwestwill]

Rode the bullet train from Paris to Nice to get to Monaco and it was a pleasure, decently comfortable and felt modern from my POV as an American. Really wish public transportation here in the US was good as it was in France

[hibob]

Watch the end of “Blue Thunder” (1983) with Roy Scheider. The movie pays off with a simulated newscast where Mario Machado says something like, “Up next, the weather, and a sneak preview of a Japanese bullet train soon to be seen in the Southland. Maybe…”
That was 41 years ago. And finally now work has started on high speed rail to Las Vegas. This country can be maddening.

[Sandeee]

The problem with America is not a lack of railways, but a lack of public transport infrastructure within the city. You may reach LA in a train quickly but after that you can't roam the city without renting a car. Most people don't take trains just to get to the station.

[TheLiamster]

This should have been built 20 years ago but I really hope it gets finished one day

[southcalder]

High Speed Rail can tackle extreme (by railway standards) gradients with ease, as long as they can get a straight run at them at full line speed. The Cajon Pass however is not a straight run, and is also a far longer climb than anything built so far in any high speed railway. You are effectively climbing up the side of a mountain, across a highly active geological fault line. It’s truly spectacular to drive along the roads there, and I’ve even stopped to admire the effort required by the BNSF and UP trains fighting up it towards Barstow.

A very long sweeping curve from San Bernardino to Hesperia shouldn’t be a challenge. The biggest obstacle would be fitting it in amongst the two existing rail corridors and I-15. It’s probably going to require more than a few viaducts and cuttings though, and in such a seismically active area as well.

However, if those obstacles could be overcome, it may be a better route for California HSR to approach LA as well. The I-5 corridor from Bakersfield being far more challenging terrain. Maybe with CHSR and Brightline together, motivation (and finance) could be found for a way from Rancho Cucamonga to DTLA?

[poke]

As a person who has grown up in Orlando, I’ve used the bright line from West Palm Beach to Orlando and it’s fast and definitely a great Moto transportation and it also connects Fort Lauderdale and Miami!

[raphgeld]

A correction. High Speed rail lines do not need to be built on as flat ground as possible, they can have gradients far more severe than conventional rail due to the speed the trains travel at, and their high power to weight ratio. The Frankfurt-Cologne high speed line in Germany or the Marseille-Avignon are good examples of this

[skyscraperfan]

It is a smart move to built the track along the highway, because that will make sure that over time millions of car drivers will see those trains pass them at high speed. Many Americans have no idea how fast a train can be and they will see it first hand there.

[zpilrtj]

Fascinating that an entire video on US trains is possible without a single mention of the the US auto industry's interest in trains staying unsuccessful.

[SecondAccount-jdoo]

Im from India and gladly Ahemdabad-mumbai will start soon in 2026 will having high speed trains running at 320 kmph(200mph) 😊

[imacuser]

I took the bright line in Florida and I was beyond impressed. I think if anyone can do it, they certainly can

[caesar]

Apart from new high speed lines, the US should upgrade existing low speed lines and rebuild closed lines for commuting shorter distances.

[jimhearsonwriter]

When I was planning a little rail tour down the NE Corridor (not on an Acela, alas), I asked some US-based colleagues about their experiences of Amtrak - not one of them had ever caught a train, which somewhat blew my mind.

[SkippingHellPHX]

9:00 "connecting all the way to Los Angeles" hold your horses there. Rancho Cucamonga is hour away from LA without traffic, it isn't even in the same MSA.