Interstate High Speed Rail Progress

Interstate High-Speed Rail Progress is happening, but we need to build it faster. It’s the linchpin of Sustainable Passenger Transportation that brings high-capacity connectivity to Amtrak Regional Rail, Commuter Rail, Metro Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, and Dedicated Bikeway. Enhanced with symbiotic ridership, they will reduce traffic congestion, smog & greenhouse gases while increasing mobility and producing millions of jobs.  Thomas Dorsey, High-Speed Rail Advocate & Travel Publisher

America’s Sustainable Passenger Transportation Must Catch Up

In this multi-part series, I illuminate the WHY, HOW, and WHERE America needs to complete enough Sustainable Passenger Transportation and Sustainable Energy infrastructure by 2050. It includes green weblinks to articles & videos supporting the odyssey America must take.

Part 1 summarizes how America chose to let its Intercity Passenger Rail and Transit fall behind other advanced nations.

Part 2 summarizes the massive benefits 26 nations in Asia, Europe, and Africa experience from High-Speed Rail (HSR) with construction underway in more nations.

Part 3 summarizes why greenhouse gas emissions have reached a tipping point in Global Warming and how smog emissions from Transportation and Energy sectors remain public health issues.

Part 4 summarizes the good, bad & ugly of our vulnerable electric grid, intercity buses, Electric Vehicles (EV), regional flights, freight trucks, cruise ships, cargo ships, and excessive highway widening.

Part 5 summarizes how more Rapid Transit and Dedicated Bikeway projects will enhance mobility in our Top 200 Metro Areas as America grows from 330 million in 2020 to 390 million by 2050.

Part 6, this page, summarizes HOW and WHERE world-class Intercity Passenger Rail should connect America’s main population corridors by 2050 and continue beyond.

High-Speed Rail & Regional Rail Anchor Sustainable Passenger Transportation

HSR uses very high voltage electric locomotives that weigh less, accelerate & brake faster than diesel locomotives. Electric locomotives do not emit smog & Greenhouse Gases (GHG). HSR has track upgrades, advanced high-speed signaling, over/underpasses at every railroad crossing, and complete fencing for higher train speeds, frequencies, schedule reliability, and public safety.

Although Modernized Regional Rail does not have an official definition, legacy rail becomes Modernized Regional Rail that include over/underpasses at all/most railroad crossings, track upgrades, complete fencing, high voltage electric locomotives, signaling upgrades, and station upgrades in stages. Those stages vary in order and time by project.

Modernized Suburban (Commuter) Rail includes over/underpasses at most railroad crossings, track upgrades, fencing, electric locomotives, signaling upgrades, and station upgrades in stages too.

HSR, Modernized Regional Rail, and Modernized Suburban Rail share urban track, but Modernized Regional Rail stops more often per mile than HSR. Modernized Suburban Rail stops more often per mile than Modernized Regional Rail.

HSR is perfectly suited for travel within high-population corridors that range from 200 to 550 miles. Modernized Regional Rail is best suited for travel within medium-population corridors that range from 40 to 275 miles. Modernized Suburban Rail is best suited within metro areas for 15-75 miles.

Since they do not emit smog, HSR, Modernized Regional Rail, and Modernized Suburban Rail trains enter open-air and enclosed stations.

Each year, more Sustainable Energy (hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal) goes to power plants supporting Sustainable Transportation (HSR, Modernized Regional Rail, Modernized Suburban Rail, Metro Rail, Trams, Electric Bus Rapid Transit & other EV).

For those and other reasons explained below, the International Union of Railways (UIC) encourages more HSR, Modernized Regional Rail and Modernized Suburban Rail projects.

The UIC categorizes Intercity Passenger Rail speeds in kilometers per hour (kmph), which I translate to miles per hour (mph). Their categories adapt to engineering advances that boost speeds.

For decades, legacy passenger rail in Eastern Asia and Western Europe operated up to 120-160 kmph (75-99 mph) using diesel fuel and electric power. Then Japan pioneered electric-powered Intercity Passenger Rail operating up to 210 kmph (130 mph). Generically known as HSR, it triggered a new hierarchy of Intercity Passenger Rail modes.

Over 1965-1990, most countries in Eastern Asia and Western Europe began legacy passenger rail upgrades to HSR operating up to 200-220 kmph (124-137 mph), Modernized Regional Rail operating up to 160-180 kmph (99-112 mph), and Modernized Suburban Rail operating up to 130-150 kmph (81-93 mph).

The UIC recognizes routes certified for commercial operations of at least 200 kmph (124 mph) over most mileage as the Minimum Top Speed for 1st-generation HSR.

Today, a large percentage of 1st-generation HSR routes worldwide are being upgraded for commercial operations up to 230-270 kmph (143-168 mph). Hence, the UIC began recognizing routes commercially operating at least 250 kmph (155 mph) over most mileage as the Minimum Top Speed for 2nd-generation HSR.

Since 1988, many new HSR routes are designed straighter & flatter for trains to commercially operate up to 280-300 kmph (174-186 mph). Think of them as 3rd-generation HSR.

Since 2007, even straighter & flatter HSR routes are designed for trains to commercially operate up to 350-360 kmph (217-224 mph). They are 4th-generation HSR, but four nations currently limit trains on them to 320 kmph (199 mph), while China permits 350 kmph (217 mph).

Capacity is another reason HSR is the linchpin mode of Sustainable Passenger Transportation.

HSR has the highest passenger capacity while using the least amount of land and energy per mile. Modernized Regional Rail is close behind.

Complete Passenger Transportation Systems in Western Europe & Eastern Asia

As quickly as budgets allow, 30 advanced and emerging nations are balancing Aviation, Intercity Passenger Rail, Highway, Rapid Transit & Dedicated Bikeway infrastructure construction for Complete Passenger Transportation Systems. Each mode is optimized for the mileage range it best serves.

America’s Incomplete Passenger Transportation System

Across America, many intercity passenger trains used to travel up to 100 mph. The first hint of big change was the popular 1939 New York World’s Fair showcasing a General Motors’ Futurama diorama of what would become Interstate Highways.

In 1940, a segment of Pennsylvania Turnpike, America’s first tollway opened. The same year, Arroyo Seco Parkway enabled up to 8 miles of freeway driving from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles. As images of General Motors’ diorama and those superhighways spread nationwide via movie newsreels, magazines, and newspapers, highway travel became a sexier concept than train travel.

Due to troop transport during and shortly after World War II (December 1941-December 1945), however, Intercity Passenger Rail remained our foremost long-distance and regional travel mode.

After World War II, America’s population, suburban housing and shopping mall construction boomed. People demanded more cars for personal mobility to work and shop. More affluent long-distance travelers flew in propeller-driven commercial airplanes for shorter trip times.

Within the Highway Lobby, General Motors purchased most streetcar systems before and during World War II. After the war, they swiftly undermined service, then destroyed streetcars to sell more oil-consuming cars and buses. They also ripped up tracks to prevent upgrades to electric-powered Rapid Transit that we would call Metro Light Rail today.

Equally bad, the Highway Lobby helped convince Congress and President Truman to pass a 1952 law that limited passenger trains to 79 mph without funding railroad over/underpasses to sustain 100 mph.

In 1956, America funded Interstate Highway System construction to separate level roadway crossings for speeds ranging from 60-85 mph, depending on the state. By the early 1960s, faster car & intercity bus speeds eliminated Intercity Passenger Rail’s speed advantage over regional distances.

When smoother flying commercial jets arrived in 1958, it nearly killed long-distance passenger rail as well.

From 1946 through 2021, the Highway and Aviation lobbies multiplied driving and flying demand by influencing politicians to invest over $2 trillion in Highways and $800 billion in Aviation.

In contrast, the Highway Lobby convinced politicians to invest less than $300 billion in Transit, mostly for local bus and school bus acquisition & operations. As a result, Metro Rail projects were canceled or underfunded.

The former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, says we invested only $10 billion in Intercity Passenger Rail from 1949-2017. A glaring example in 1993, was America’s first HSR project only received 1/5th of needed funding when it was relatively cheap to build infrastructure.

De-prioritizing Intercity Passenger Rail limited America to only 60 miles of HSR capable of 160 mph and under 500 miles of Modernized Regional Rail capable of 110-125 mph. Due to shrinking train ridership, Americans devalued train stations too.

By de-prioritizing Intercity Passenger Rail and Rapid Transit, our Aviation and Highway infrastructure became overloaded. Nor do we have enough Dedicated Bikeways to Rapid Transit stations.

Compared to other advanced nations, America’s absence of robust Intercity Passenger Rail and Rapid Transit systems, and upgraded train stations has resolved it to More Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Person, More Lanes Per Highway, More Roadway Deaths Per Person, and More Parking Spaces Per Person.

Highway congestion saps our economic productivity and face-to-face social time. Excessive regional flights amplify bothersome queues at Hub Airports. The Transportation Sector remains America’s largest source of smog and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions with the Energy Sector close behind.

Like other advanced and emerging nations, America must do its part to stop Global Warming by halting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from exceeding what the Earth can naturally absorb.

Despite our shortcomings, if America invests enough now and adopts best practices, we can complete enough difference-making Sustainable Transportation & Sustainable Energy projects by 2050. The United Nations calls it reaching Net-Zero.

If advanced and emerging nations don’t, every nation will suffer catastrophic effects.

Sustainable Energy for Complete Passenger Transportation Systems

Other advanced nations have proven that a Complete Passenger Transportation System requires a commitment to Sustainable Energy (wind, solar, geothermal, biofuel) plus existing Hydroelectric Energy, and Next-gen Nuclear Energy for electric-powered passenger transportation.

Since they are not tethered to an electric grid, freight rail, airplanes, cargo ships, and cruise ships are gradually switching to Sustainable Biofuel for lower smog & GHG emissions.

China and America are the world’s first and second-largest EV producers, respectively. More Americans are buying EV cars. Amazon, Walmart, USPS, UPS, and FedEx are quickly switching to EV delivery trucks. China and America produce the most Sustainable Energy.

Though America’s wind & solar energy grew much faster over 2009-24 and more geothermal energy is on the way, all coal-fueled power plants were on pace to switch to lower-emission natural gas by 2028.

That’s good news.

The bad news, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is our electric grid loses 65% of its energy and limits solar-powered electricity transferred from the Residential Sector. Our mega-regions still experience blackouts.

To make matters worse, China still fuels too many power plants with coal. The world’s largest rainforests in South America, Central Africa and New Guinea that absorb Carbon Dioxide are shrinking.

Those are flashing red lights for every advanced and emerging nation to reduce GHG emissions, modernize the electric grid to eliminate energy leaks, and plant more trees, while population growth and modern devices increase electricity demand. The energy industry calls the latter a “Smart Electric Grid.”

Though America likely has enough natural gas to help fuel power plants to 2070-75, natural gas only provides a modest reduction of smog & GHG emissions compared to coal and oil. When natural gas supplies inevitably tighten over time, its unit cost will also rise. Hence, natural gas is only a bridge to Sustainable Energy and safer Next-gen Nuclear Energy feeding a Smart Electric Grid.

For decades, I was a nuclear energy hater and a wind & solar fanboy. Then I awakened to the reality that we need electric energy when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. I also learned that few additional places can produce geothermal energy and that building more hydroelectric dams has worse environmental impacts than Next-gen Nuclear Energy, which has become significantly safer and more efficient.

The next big insight is that Complete Passenger Transportation System progress in America is snail-like for structural and political reasons. To overcome structural issues faster, we should model after nations that excel at it. Given America’s vast geographical regions with dense population corridors, whose Complete Passenger Transportation System should America primarily model?

Japan and South Korea have political systems of strong personal property & worker rights, but hyper-dense population corridors on a linear archipelago or isthmus, respectively. China has a large varied geography like America, but also hyper-dense population corridors and a political system of weak personal property & worker rights. Those key Eastern Asia traits are too unlike America.

Western Europe has geography, population corridor densities, and strong personal property & worker rights similar to America. It merits a closer look.

Western European Transportation Planning + Smart Land Zoning Benefits

Western Europe has slightly different names than America for three Rapid Transit modes. Commuter Rail is called “Suburban Rail.” Metro Heavy Rail (subway & elevated) is called “Metro Rail.” Metro Light Rail is called “Trams.”

In 1974, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom accelerated HSR, Regional Rail, Suburban Rail, Metro Rail & Tram modernization and expansion projects. Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands followed in the 1980s-90s.

Unlike American cities that tore down most central train stations, Western Europe upgraded them with dining, retail & hotel development in & around them. They expanded Rapid Transit lines and Intercity Bus services to central train stations, morphing them into dynamic Intermodal Transportation Centers that increase tourism.

Western Europe is expanding Trams in 250,000+ population metro areas, expanding Metro Rail in 1+ million population metro areas, modernizing Suburban Rail in all metro areas, converting to low-emission-biofuel Intercity Buses, and accelerating Dedicated Bikeway construction.

A respected 2024 report presented at a European Transportation tradeshow states that up to 81% of people in medium to large European metro areas use Public Transit. HSR & Regional Rail ridership have also cut regional flights, intercity drives, highway accidents, smog & GHG emissions.

Analysis by the International Union of Railways (UIC) concludes that the life-cycle CO2 footprint of HSR track construction, train construction, and operation is 14 to 16 times lower than an automobile or airplane. Yet people still drive well-maintained intercity tollways, rural highways, and fly when they choose.

The big picture is, Western Europeans enjoy better & safer mobility options than Americans despite fewer Regional Flights Per Person, fewer Cars Per Household, fewer Lanes Per Highway, fewer Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Person, and fewer Parking Spaces Per Person. Fewer Lanes Per Highway and fewer Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Person greatly reduces their Highway Maintenance Costs Per Person.

Those societal benefits explain WHY Europe and Asia continue building/expanding HSR and modernizing Regional Rail as fast as budgets allow.

French Model for Sustainable Passenger Transportation & Smart Electric Grid

In 2024, Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor HSR, Regional, and Long-Distance trains attracted a record 33 million passengers. That sounds good until one compares it to France, a nation slightly smaller than Texas.

SNCF, the French railway agency responsible for Intercity Passenger Rail, attracted a staggering 1.3 billion passengers in 2024. Let’s glance at how France does it with 1/6th of America’s population and 1/10th of its economic GDP.

Shortly after World War II in 1946, France tasked SNCF to restore railway and train stations in its largest metro areas: Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpelier, Rennes, Grenoble, Rouen, and Nice. French cities preserved most of their streetcar tracks. Paris resumed Metro Rail expansion.

Once the French colonial war in Vietnam ended in 1954, it freed up more tax dollars and mind-space for better infrastructure at home.

In 1955, France launched a National Tollway System connected to public-funded urban freeways. France relies on public guidelines and a concession system that licenses private companies to finance, construct, operate, and maintain tollways. To minimize rights-of-way (ROW) property acquisition, rural tollways are limited to 4 lanes, and tollways approaching urban area rarely exceed 6 lanes.

After seeing Japan introduce successful 210 kmph (130 mph) HSR between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, in 1965, France, Italy and the UK increased  funding to begin upgrading Intercity Passenger Rail to 160-200 kmph (99-124 mph).

By 1970, France’s SNCF agency recognized that more domestic jobs and international train sales could be had. Both benefits held great appeal to the French government.

By 1971, France approved a larger SNCF R&D budget to build the world’s fastest HSR system with an initial segment between Paris and its 2nd largest metro area, Lyon. For speeds well above 210 kmph, the HSR system would require more powerful locomotives running on straighter tunnels, viaducts & embankments that SNCF calls “Ligne à Grande Vitesse” (High-Speed Line) or simply, LGV.

Though SNCF had experience managing diesel and high-voltage (1.5 KiloVolts) electric infrastructure for trains, it wanted to avoid the added cost of very-high-voltage (25 KiloVolts) electric infrastructure for high-speed trains. Thus, SNCF hired the French company Alstom to develop a more powerful locomotive based on a jet engine. That approach seemed sensible because oil-based jet fuel has high energy density and imported oil was cheap.

Jet Train showed engineering promise when it sustained 270 kmph (168 mph) on LGV test track. That promise vanished, however, in October 1973. To the surprise of the France, United Kingdom, Italy, and America which backed Israel in a Middle East War, OPEC slapped an oil embargo on them. It hit the French economy particularly hard because that nation never had much domestic oil.

Though France had one of the world’s Top 5 Automotive industries in 1974, its government pivoted to less dependency on imported oil by constructing more nuclear and hydroelectric power plants, beginning to upgrade its electric grid capacity sooner, and improving public transportation via:

• Streetcar conversions to Trams having dedicated lanes, 3X capacity & fewer stops/mile
• Construction of Metro Rail systems in the 6 largest metro areas
• Construction of 25 KiloVolts electric railway infrastructure
• Faster conversion of diesel-powered Suburban Rail & Regional Rail to electric-power
• Conversion of High-Speed Train R&D from jet-fueled to electric-powered locomotives

SNCF also upgraded Paris and Lyon train stations and platforms to handle more passengers. Those infrastructure pivots aligned with the French National Authority for Health’s goal to eliminate coal-fueled power plants emitting dangerous particulates and to reduce automotive smog — both increase lung disease.

In 1979, SNCF spun off an agency to manage the Train à Grande Vitesse (High-Speed Train) project, commonly called TGV. Shortly after the electric-powered TGV demonstrated that it could match Jet Train speed on the LGV test track in 1979-80, another milestone sequence unfolded:

In 1981, TGV began commercial operation up to 270 kmph (168 mph) on LGV within 391 kilometers (243 miles) between Paris and Lyon.

In 1988, SNCF upgraded LGV signaling and TGV locomotives to commercially operate up to 300 kmph (186 mph) in Paris-Lyon corridor.

In 1990, SNCF opened new LGV for TGV service in Paris-LeMans and Paris-Tours corridors (Japan HSR reached 275 kmph (171 mph).

In 1994, France and the United Kingdom opened the 51-kilometer (31-mile) English Channel Tunnel, enabling Eurostar HSR service in the Paris-Lille-London corridor.

In 1996, SNCF and National Railway Company of Belgium opened a 300 kmph HSR route between Lille and Brussels, enabling new Paris-Lille-Brussels HSR and London-Lille-Brussels HSR routes.

In 2001, SNCF extended the first LGV to 660 kilometers (410 miles) between Paris and Marseille, enabling a 3-hour 5-minute TGV Trip Time.

This High-Speed Rail Alliance chart illustrates how HSR reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions and Energy Consumption compared to Highway Travel and Air Travel modes in the Paris-Lyon-Valence-Avignon-Marseille TGV Corridor.

The small Carbon Dioxide emissions associated with TGV operation (train icon on chart) were from power plants that burned fossil fuels to create electricity.

In 2007, SNCF introduced a 400 kmph (249 mph) 4th-generation HSR route (Next-gen LGV) between Paris and Strasbourg designed for Next-gen TGV to operate up to 360 kmph (224 mph). Until SNCF approves higher speeds, Next-gen TGV will also be limited to 320 kmph (199 mph) on Next-gen LGV.

By 2016, the Global Warming Threat, higher electric vehicle manufacturing, and higher Intercity Passenger Rail & Rapid Transit ridership inspired France to accelerate Smart Electric Grid upgrades that reduce energy loss and better manage higher demand.

France targets completion of the Smart Electric Grid in 2035. While hydroelectric energy holds steady, more power plants will upgrade to Next-gen Nuclear Energy and more low-cost wind & solar energy enter the grid.

By 2017, SNCF expanded LGV and Next-gen LGV to Rennes, Bordeaux, Montpellier, and Mulhouse.

In 2021, Alstom purchased Bombardier and became the world’s 2nd largest train maker. Per capita, train-related jobs in France became as important as automobile-related jobs in America. Every French train station that hosts TGV includes station agents, food & beverage machines, gift shops, and restrooms. Larger stations include coffeehouses, cafes, major retail stores, upgraded passenger amenities, and artwork.

Next-gen TGV features higher seating capacity, wider windows, a pivoting lift platform & larger spaces for wheelchair users, better WiFi, improved lighting, upgraded cafe cabin, and more bike racks for an upgraded passenger experience. To accumulate one million kilometers of pre-operational testing for reliability assurance, Next-gen TGV will debut in April 2026.

In 2045, France anticipates 100% conversion to HSR and/or Modern Regional Rail between Large (3+ million pop.), Medium (1.0-2.99 million pop.), and Small (250,000-999,000 pop.) metro areas. More cities in France are following the Paris example of converting streets and parking lots to pedestrian green spaces too.

By modernizing Intercity Passenger Rail and expanding Rapid Transit and Sustainable Energy, France is leading the European Union goal to reduce GHG emissions from 8 tons per capita to 2 tons per capita by 2050.

Higher Speeds Shorten Trip Times & Lengthen Competitive Rail Distances

For Trip Time Savings, travelers often drove 140-150 kmph (87-93 mph) on European tollways. To cut accidents and reduce emissions, European nations imposed stiff speeding fines and limited most tollway speed limits to 120-140 kmph (75-87 mph). Even Germany’s famous Autobahn has shrinking No Speed Limit mileage. Combined with toll booths, fuel & refreshment stops most intercity drives now average between 110-120 kmph (69-75 mph).

Total Air Travel Time equals ground transport to origin airport, airport queues, flight time, and ground transport from destination airport to final destinations. In Western Europe, Total Air Travel Time for 800 kilometer flights (497 miles) average about the same as in America.

The following chart approximates Intercity Passenger Rail for common 3 and 3.5-hour Trip Distances. Average Speeds are estimated from Top Speeds by factoring in slowdowns in old tunnels & curves, lower speeds entering & exiting stations, Rule-of-Thumb distances between station stops, and train dwell times at station platforms.

Operating economics for trains favor the pursuit of higher Average Speeds. Note the 100-mile longer 3.5-hour distance at 168 mph Average Speed vs. 140 mph Average Speed. In a 19-hour workday, a train operator can schedule 1-2 more roundtrips with the same labor cost.

Similar operating economics favor 140 mph Average Speed over 109 mph Average Speed, and 109 mph Average Speed over 81 mph Average Speed.

Given unyielding demand for Trip Time Savings, HSR routes strive for Average Speeds 1.5 to 3 times faster than Highway Speed Limits in the same corridor. For example, HSR Average Speed should be at least 109 mph, when the Alternative Highway Speed Limit is 74 mph (120 kmph).

From their Speed-Distance-Ridership Charts, Western Europe passenger rail agencies found that HSR rides up to 3.5 hours + 5-45-minute Rapid Transit/Taxi/Uber/Bike/Walk options attract higher ridership than Regional Flights + Rapid Transit/Rental Car/Taxi/Uber options in the same corridors.

Bolstered with those insights, Western Europe is increasing Intercity Passenger Rail and Rapid Transit ridership via these best practices:

• Build more 280-360 kmph (174-224 mph) HSR routes
• Modernize early 200-250 kmph (124-155 mph) HSR routes to 230-270 kmph (143-168 mph)
• Modernize early 150-200 kmph (93-124 mph) Regional Rail routes to 180-220 kmph (112-137 mph)
• Introduce cheap, medium, and premium passenger fares in HSR routes
• Introduce Regional Rail fares more competitive with Intercity Bus fares
• Build station platforms level with train floors to cut station dwell times
• Use Public-Private-Partnerships to upgrade Intermodal Transportation Centers with dining, retail & hotels

Like Americans, Europeans love personal space while driving their automobiles. Along with Trip Time Savings, Cost Savings are required for more of them to trade personal space for shared space on trains. Understanding that truth, Western European nations are employing these Carrot & Stick practices:

CARROT: Introduce low fare HSR services and build multiple Rapid Transit lines to Intermodal Transportation Centers for more access to intercity passenger trains.
STICK: Jack-up tolls and parking fees at public garages and central hotels. Reduce parking spaces by converting more parking lots to housing or public park space.

Two public goods have resulted. Train rides for 2-passenger and 3-passenger groups are cost-competitive with more intercity drives. The combined Trip Time Savings & Cost Savings of HSR + Rapid Transit/Taxi/Uber/Biking have reduced per capita intercity drives in Western Europe.

These practices constitute a Western Europe Cheat Code to build & operate successful Intercity Passenger Rail, Rapid Transit, and Intermodal Transportation Centers.

Given that France is the world’s most visited country, Paris CDG Airport will always be busy. Tourism to Lyon is also growing via frequent HSR service and its central location with close proximity to Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Cannes, Nice, French Alps, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

The French government wants to spread more international tourism to Paris around France and eliminate regional flights between its large metro areas. To meet those goals, France is investing 100 billion Euros ($117 billion in 2025 value) for Intercity Passenger Rail upgrades from 2024 to 2040.

By 2040, France will have over 3000 LGV miles interconnecting thousands of Regional Rail miles. TGV ridership will remain high on routes up to 4 hours because most trips have different origins and endpoints that last 1 to 3 hours. Many travelers prefer trains over airplanes, even when Total Trip Times match.

With insights from Train Speed-Distance and Ridership charts, SNCF, TGV, and Alstom reasoned that Next-gen TGV operating faster on Next-gen LGV can increase ridership and further reduce intercity drives & regional flights. Combined with Modernized Regional Rail, Paris or Lyon will likely connect to the Top 25 Destinations in France in under 3.5 hours by 2042.

Next-gen TGV is branded TGV M in France and marketed as Avelia Horizon for global sales. TGV M is a bi-level train designed for 30% lower maintenance cost, 30% less weight, 20% more energy efficiency, and 20% more cabin space than current TGV.

Boarding and exiting will also be faster via better door placement and a pivoting-lift platform for wheelchairs. For example, shorter Dwell Times can reduce an otherwise 3 hour 15-minute Trip Time to 3 hours.

Like testing delays for Next-gen Boeing and Airbus jets, similar testing delays hit TGV M, now scheduled to enter commercial operation in early 2026.

Nevertheless, interest in Avelia Horizon remains high. Two private train operators in France are purchasing them to compete with TGV M, and several other nations are placing Avelia Horizon orders.

Train Frequency, Schedule Reliability & Safety

Aside from Trip Time Savings and Lower Fares, all travelers value train frequency, schedule reliability, and safety. Some travelers also value a lower Carbon Dioxide footprint for each mile of travel.

Higher speeds enable more frequent trains/hour via the same number of trains and same staffing level. Depending on a corridor’s population, it’s also proven that 36-92 daily roundtrips maximize HSR ridership. Similarly, 24-34 daily roundtrips maximize Regional Rail ridership in medium population corridors.

Roundtrips in Western Europe HSR routes are increasing due to state-owned high-speed trains from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Eurostar (UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands) competing with each other. The entrance of more privately owned high-speed trains further increases train frequencies and yields lower Coach Class fares.

Switzerland proves that very high speed is not required in compact geographies. It is only 22% larger than Maryland, and its 6 largest cities are 20-60 miles apart in a single 170-mile zig-zag corridor.

Most passenger trains in that Alpine country only run at 180-230 kmph (112-143 mph). Their combined 5 to 20-minute train frequencies, 98% Schedule Reliability, and inexpensive passenger rail pass attract the Highest Ridership Per Passenger Rail Kilometer in Europe.

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands typically operate HSR at 89-95% schedule reliability, which clobbers Air Travel’s schedule reliability.

There’s also a safety advantage. Since April 2025, TGV has transported over 2 billion passengers on LGV without a single passenger death in commercial operation. TGV has only had a few accidents on slower legacy rail that has remaining level railroad crossings.

Benefits Over Costs Suggest Higher TGV M Speeds To Come

Standard LGV will constrain TGV M to 300 kmph (186 mph) Top Speed. TGV M is certified to commercially operate up to 400 kmph (249 mph) on Next-gen LGV, TGV management planned initial commercial operation 10% slower at 360 kmph (224 mph) on Next-gen LGV at similar energy and maintenance costs but currently, France has more important considerations than more Trip Time Savings.

As the leader of the Paris Climate Agreement since 2016, France has replaced nearly all coal-fueled power plants with nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas, geothermal, wind & solar energy. While the Russia-Ukraine War limits natural gas supplies to Europe, France is builds wind, solar, and geothermal energy projects faster. It is also upgrading old nuclear reactors.

When France completes its Smart Electric Grid by 2035, it will ban the sale of new gasoline & diesel automobiles.

Consistent with its environmental leadership, France wants to demonstrate faster progress to Net Zero via lower smog & GHG emissions coupled with higher energy efficiency on passenger trains. Thus, TGV M’s planned introduction for commercial operation was revised down to 320 kmph (199 mph) on Next-gen LGV.

A French-Italian rail tunnel under the Alps opens in 2032, which will attract more Italian high-speed trains on LGV. Over 2027-33, Nextgen LGVs are opening from Bordeaux to Toulouse, and from Paris through Dijon to the Swiss border. A standard LGV or Next-gen LGV will open in Southeast France for more high-speed trains with Spain. Germany is upgrading HSR routes from Mannheim, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart to meet Next-gen LGV at two borders with France.

France introduced the first train certified for 360 kmph and the first HSR route certified for 400 kmph in commercial operation. France set a speed record for a steel-wheel train at 575 kmph (357 mph) on Nextgen LGV. Yet, no one speaks of France having the world’s fastest trains anymore.

Last decade, Japan matched France with 320 kmph trains in commercial operation. In 2017, China became the HSR speed leader with 350 kmph (217 mph) trains in commercial operation. Japan plans to match that commercial operating speed by 2029. California HSR’s 354 kmph (220 mph) trains debut in early 2031, and the United Kingdom’s 354 kmph trains debut in 2032.

TGV M will replace all current TGV train sets over 2025-31 and further tune train signaling. Making TGV M one of the world’s fastest steel-wheel trains would be good press for Alstom’s global sales.

Each year, more wind, solar & geothermal power join nuclear & hydropower production, and the Smart Electric Grid prevents more energy loss in France. The unknown inflation wild card is costs upgrading many old nuclear power plants to Next-gen nuclear power plants.

If that wild card is tamed, lower unit costs for electricity should result. Then, operating TGV M up to 360 kmph Top Speed would complete more daily round trips in the same time, generating higher operating profits.

There’s another incentive to unleash TGV M to 360 kmph next decade. The French and British maintain a rivalry of bragging rights over things large and small. Given national pride in TGV, I strongly doubt France allowing the United Kingdom to boast of faster trains in 2032.

More Best Practices from German, Swiss & Italian HSR Experience

Since Germany has a denser population than France, it prioritized building a web-like system of upgraded HSR & Regional Rail mileage to attract more passengers per mile than the hub & spoke network of French HSR & Regional Rail. European Union statistics back that up

Over 2026-42, Germany is expanding that web by connecting its HSR lines to more borders with France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden HSR lines.

Given its web-like system is well suited to Northeast and Chicago-Midwest passenger rail corridors, Germany should be America’s second most important HSR & Regional Rail model.

The German company Siemens recently introduced a Next-gen high-speed train called “ICE 3neo.” The German railway agency, “DB”, is upgrading 1st-generation and 2nd-generation HSR routes and building more 3rd-generation HSR routes to enable shorter Trip Times systemwide.

Switzerland has built 22- and 35-mile rail tunnels under the Alps certified for trains to operate up to 250 kmph (155 mph). Their success means we can be confident in building HSR tunnels under California, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

To connect more cities to Rome in under 3.5 hours, the Trenitalia rail agency plans to upgrade its 1st-generation Rome-Florence HSR segment to reach 270 kmph (168 mph). The rest of Italy’s HSR network is being designed for 270 or 300 kmph.

Travelers within Italy also benefit from privately owned Italo high-speed trains competing with state-owned Trenitalia high-speed trains, resulting in higher train frequencies per route and lower fares.

When Amtrak lines are upgraded to HSR, they should have competition too.

If you’d like nerdy details on how their speed, capacity, frequency, reliability, and safety are achieved, see Interstate Passenger Rail Taxonomy.

America Should Prioritize HSR Project Completions

Though it would have been cheaper to modernize Intercity Passenger Rail and expand Rapid Transit decades sooner, we can use the Western Europe Cheat Code to build smarter for higher ridership and more successful Intermodal Transportation Centers. We also have a good example of a Public-Private-Partnership in Brightline West HSR project.

Among HSR advocates, there is debate over the minimum HSR Top Speeds America should pursue. Though we prefer 185-220 mph Top Speeds, the Western Europe Cheat Code proves they are not practical or necessary for every corridor. Tilt trains can enable otherwise standard 125 mph trains to support 135 mph. Thus, we can cost-justify these speed ranges:

• Upgrade to 110-125-135 mph Regional Rail in 3-5 million population corridors
• Build/Upgrade to 150-160-170 mph HSR in 6-10 million population corridors
• Build 180-190-200-210-220 mph HSR in 11+ million population corridors

1st Public-Owned HSR Funding Priority

America’s Northeast Region has 45 million residents and attracts the most domestic and international visitors. It has the most Rapid Transit lines connecting to Amtrak and commuter trains.

Amtrak has upgraded 36 miles in the Boston-Southeastern Connecticut segment and 24 miles in the New Brunswick-Trenton segment for Next-gen Acela trains to reach 160 mph.

Recently, President Biden awarded Amtrak Northeast Corridor HSR $16 billion of its $30 billion USDOT commitment for its Phase 1 Upgrade.

Next-gen Acela trains called Avelia Liberty are derived from Avelia Horizon technology. They debut in July 2025. Its tilting feature enables about 10 mph higher speed in curves. Faster entry & exit via wider doors are part of the improved onboard experience.

The Washington-NYC’s 2-hour 51-minute Trip Time via Old Acela in 2024 should initially reduce to 2 hours 42 minutes on Avelia Liberty. Boston-NYC’s 3-hour 35-minute Trip Time via Old Acela should reduce to 3 hours 30 minutes on Avelia Liberty. Train frequency will also increase by nearly 50%.

By 2036, completed tunnel, bridge, track, electrical, and signaling projects will upgrade more rural mileage to 160 mph and urban mileage to 90-100 mph. Avelia Liberty Trip Time should reduce to 2 hours 30 minutes, and Boston-NYC Trip Time should reduce to 3 hours 10 minutes.

Avelia Liberty frequency will increase again, as schedule reliability surpassed 90% in the NYC-Washington segment and 85% in the NYC-Boston segment.

More upgrades are planned over 2037-45 for significantly higher speeds, capacity, train frequencies, and schedule reliability.

2nd Public-Owned HSR Funding Priority

The 496-mile California HSR Phase 1 project covers the San Francisco-Anaheim corridor with a northern spur to Merced. When complete, it will showcase 220 mph from Merced to Palmdale segment and 90-110 mph in urban areas for a San Francisco-Los Angeles 2-hour 40-minute Express Trip Time. Regional flight delays in California are increasing. The state will reach reach 40 million population.

Those factors and more Amtrak Regional Rail, Commuter Rail, Metro Rail & BRT connectivity should drive California HSR well beyond the 31 million annual rider forecast by 2040.

Due to numerous funding delays, California HSR mega-project is now estimated to cost between $108-115 billion. The state of California is committing over $33 billion. To date, the USDOT has only granted $6.7 billion directly to the mega-project — only 6% of funds to date.

In 2024, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) granted $3.4 billion of lead funding for a modern Commuter Rail tunnel into downtown San Francisco. In January 2025, the FTA planned to allocate an additional $500 million towards tunnel. California HSR trains will eventually use the same tunnel.

The 171-mile Merced-Bakersfield HSR segment in Central California is on pace to begin commercial operation in late 2030. Many Amtrak San Joaquin riders from Oakland and Sacramento will transfer at California HSR Merced Station for high-speed rides south to Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield. I can’t predict when federal funding will arrive to spark more state and county funding to extend from Central California to Gilroy and San Jose.

Due to federal, state & local politics, personal property rights, environmental clearances, engineering design, and construction challenges, all Highway, Airport, HSR & Rapid Transit mega-projects seem to take 8-14 years to complete in America.

The 450 miles of I-95 Highway between Boston and Washington took over 30 years to complete. We should not be surprised that a straighter 496-mile Phase 1 HSR mega-project through two mountain ranges will also take 30 years to complete.

1st Private-Public-Owned HSR Project Priority

The Los Angeles-Las Vegas corridor has the most regional flights in America. Brightline West received a $3 billion grant from Biden’s USDOT to combine with $13 billion in private funding for its planned 185 mph train service from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, a suburb 40 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles.

Brightline West plans to construct the 218-mile Las Vegas-Victor Valley-Rancho Cucamonga HSR corridor in 4 years by mostly using the I-15 Freeway median.

Brightline West has learned California HSR lessons to minimize mistakes on this mega-project. Nevertheless, unexpected things often add 1-2 years to construction and higher costs. For example, Brightline West recently announced that it also needs a $5.5 billion loan from USDOT, which sums to a $21.5 billion project.

After all the infrastructure is built, 9-12 months of systems testing is required for public utility certification. Therefore, I anticipate Brightline West opening in 2030.

It will primarily draw ridership from nearly 7 million residents in eastern Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and northern Orange County. For most, Total Trip Time (including drives to/from Rancho Cucamonga) to the Las Vegas Strip will be 3 hours or less.

Later in the 2030s, Brightline West would like to extend HSR tracks from Victor Valley to Palmdale, then switch to California HSR tracks for 1-seat train rides into Burbank Airport and Los Angeles Union Station in less than 3 hours.

3rd Public HSR-Regional Rail Funding Priority

Chicago is the hub of five major passenger rail corridors. The two largest corridors connect 20 million people in Milwaukee-Chicago-Hammond/Gary-Kalamazoo-Detroit and Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis corridors have ideal spacing for HSR service. Though small Amtrak Regional upgrades were completed in the 2010s, their train speeds & frequencies remain too low to attract high ridership.

Amtrak Hiawatha trains from Milwaukee only reach 79 mph in the 86 miles to Chicago, with 7 daily roundtrips that terminate at the north concourse of Chicago Union Station.

Amtrak Wolverine trains from Detroit only reach 110 mph in part of the 237 miles to Chicago, with 3 daily roundtrips terminating at the south concourse of Chicago Union Station.

Amtrak Lincoln & Missouri Runner trains from St. Louis only reach 110 mph in part of the 284 miles to Chicago, with 5 daily roundtrips terminating at the south concourse of Chicago Union Station.

The main concourse of Chicago Union Station is airy and beautiful, but the lower stairs and boarding platforms are too low and cramped for larger passenger volumes. Oglivie Transit Station hosts Chicago Metro Rail and some Chicago Metra Commuter Rail trains 2 blocks north. The two stations do not connect tracks & platforms for easy transfers.

South of Chicago Union Station, Amtrak, and commuter trains cross a maze of freight rail tracks that slow passenger rail speeds and delay freight rail movements.

The Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP) only received a $100 million USDOT grant to combine with state, county & city funding to fix Chicago Union Station. It still does not connect underground with Oglivie Transit Station.

In the next round of USDOT funding, the railway maze of the south of Chicago Union Station should receive a USDOT grant for a Crosstown Connector and more miles of 110 mph passenger track between downtown and a few miles south of Chicago Union Station.

At current funding levels, train frequencies to Detroit and St. Louis will only rise to 8 daily round trips. That’s nowhere close to the HSR potential of these high population corridors over relatively flat land.

Given our 2025-28 political climate, I believe the most practical upgrade for Chicago Hub is to focus on a 323-mile Chicago-Gary/Hammond-Kalamazoo-Ann Arbor-Detroit HSR corridor, where most of the right-of-way is owned by Amtrak or state transportation agencies.

Illinois and Indiana manage 4-to-2 tracks of electric commuter rail from the northern Illinois border to Michigan City, Indiana. Amtrak owns 97 miles from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo. Michigan owns 135 miles from Kalamazoo to the Dearborn suburb of Detroit. High Speed Rail Alliance describes corridor upgrades required in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

In summary, the route needs a 50-mile high-speed bypass, 60-65 railroad over/underpasses, modern signaling & electrification, and electric tilt trains to reach 110, 125, 135, and 160 mph in various segments for a difference-making 104 mph Average Speed by 2037. The existing Amtrak route can remain open during construction.

4th Public HSR Funding Priority

Southeast HSR in the Washington-Richmond-Raleigh-Charlotte-Greenville-Atlanta corridor has over 20 million population in the nation’s fastest-growing mega-region. In 2023, the Washington-Richmond-Raleigh segment received $1.8 billion in federal grants to combine with a couple of billion more from Amtrak, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Highlights of this funding cycle are a second railway bridge across the Potomac River, mild curve-straightening between Washington, DC, and Richmond, and the purchase of an S-Line freight rail corridor (below) to create a straighter Passenger Rail route between Richmond and Raleigh.

When the project is completed, Amtrak plans commercial operation up to 110 mph and 10-12 daily roundtrips in the corridor. Compared to Intercity Passenger Rail in Western Europe, this project is another disappointment. Nor has ROW been purchased for a straighter Raleigh-Greensboro-Charlotte route.

Given the 400-mile corridor’s population, growth rate, and spacing between large metro areas, it’s better suited for 185 mph HSR and 34-36 daily roundtrip services to cut highway congestion and regional flights between Washington, Richmond, Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte. To accommodate such speeds, more ROW property acquisition is urgently needed before development jacks up ROW costs.

2nd Private HSR Project Priority

Another private company, Texas Central Railway wants to break ground on a 205 mph Dallas-Houston HSR route serving the fast-growing 16+ million-person 240-mile corridor. Stations are currently planned a few blocks south of downtown Dallas and in Northwest Houston. Texas Central plans to build Transportation-Oriented Development on land it owns next to stations.

When complete, this project will anchor extensions from Dallas to Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.

Until Texas Central overcomes Trump Administration and NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) obstacles preventing Environmental Clearance and ROW Acquisition, the 100% Engineering Design required for Construction Start is delayed. Perhaps its recent Amtrak partnership will help break the logjam.

Accelerate More Interstate HSR Projects To Enter Construction

California HSR Phase 1 is a 36-million population, 496-mile HSR corridor that requires long tunnels and 220 mph Top Speed. America has many other high-traffic 250 to 450-mile corridors ideal for 155-200 mph HSR projects that don’t need expensive long tunnels. If Federal Railroad funding is boosted, then more states and private investors will co-fund these HSR projects to enter construction over 2027-32:

• Chicago-Springfield-St Louis-Kansas City
• Philadelphia-Harrisburg-Pittsburgh
• Atlanta-Greenville-Charlotte
• Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville
• Pittsburgh-Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit
• Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati
• Minneapolis-Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago
• Portland-Seattle-Vancouver
• NYC-Albany

Combined with the current HSR projects, the majority of Americans would finally believe that a robust Interstate HSR System is underway.

Upgrades for Public & Private Regional Rail

By January 2025, monthly ridership in most of the 25 state-supported Amtrak Regional routes approached pre-pandemic levels. To informed HSR advocates, that’s welcome news, but not cause to celebrate because a dozen merit 160-200 mph HSR upgrades for high ridership.

The remaining Amtrak Regional routes in sub-250-mile corridors merit 110-125 mph Regional Rail upgrades. Amtrak California routes are prime examples of massive ridership potential if Regional Rail upgrades are completed by 2035-37.

Florida is fortunate to have the private-owned Brightline Florida Regional Rail operator between Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando Airport. It currently features 16 daily round trips. Their station & onboard experience, and low-emission diesel-electric trains are top-shelf. Later this decade, Brightline Florida will benefit from a new river bridge too.

Brightline Florida can not, however, approach its ridership potential until it provides 100-110 mph in urban areas, 34 daily roundtrips, and 125 mph extensions to Disney Springs and Tampa. To reach those goals, another short bridge must be replaced, 50 railroad overpasses must be built, and 25-30 streets must be closed at railroad crossings. The entire route must be fenced for safety. Railroad over/underpasses are public-owned and cost $80-$125 million each. Street closures can be done for less than $100,000 each by cities.

Brightline proves private company investment in HSR and Regional Rail. So another takeaway is America’s latent demand for more Public-Private-Partnership in HSR and Regional Rail.

More Federal Funding for Sustainable Passenger Transportation?

In November 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) ensured that Infrastructure Week would no longer be a running joke in government circles. Larger USDOT grants arrived over 2022-24 and triggered states, counties & private companies to announce more Intercity Passenger Rail and Rapid Transit projects.

My conclusion in Part 7 summarizes HOW much public and private funding is needed and “potentially” obtainable for a robust Interstate High-Speed Rail System and upgraded Regional Rail by 2050.

Part 7: Interstate High Speed Rail Funding