The fastest train in America has arrived. “Nextgen Acela” made its release debut on August 27th, enhancing the modern design, more seating and the passenger experience. It is hailed as a leap in America’s high-speed rails, but it’s actually halfway through.
The new train – the brothers to the French iconic TGV – could reach 160 mph. However, it is rarely possible on American trucks. For now, passengers only experience a few short bursts at top speeds, which is still far inferior to the standard in Europe and Asia.
Still, even as the wider outlook for US high-speed rail remains dim, new trains are expected to be a welcome improvement for busy Northeast corridor travelers.
Decades of underinvestment have left the country with busy highways, crumbling bridges, busy airports and a lame, unreliable, unreliable, passenger rail network.
Globally, according to the International Union of Railways, more than 40,000 miles of modern high-speed rails are currently in operation and are used to travel 3 billion passengers a year. Another 12,400-mile truck is under construction, but 1,200 miles have opened this year in China alone.
In contrast, the US is being pulled back.
The hopes of a railway revolution, which was poised to transform connectivity between major cities three years ago, appears to have wavered. Only three actual high-speed rail projects have been developed, two of which recently withdrawn government funding.
Part of the problem is structure. The country has become a difficult place to build large infrastructure. Land, materials and labor are expensive. Experienced engineers are resigning faster than they can be replaced. Environmental reviews and permissions can last for years. The land ownership is heavily protected, making road acquisitions expensive and controversial.
Perhaps most consequently, the nation is deeply devoted to cars. What’s overlapping with all this is a political system where priorities turn around every few years, undermining long-term planning and funding that such megaprojects are in demand.
The most ambitious project, the California High Speed Railroad, was intended to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with up to 500 miles of tracks within three hours.
In July, that vision suffered a major setback when the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) subtracted $4 billion in funding allocated by the Biden administration.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy noted that he missed the deadline, including a pledge to run the first 170 miles by 2033.
“After 16 years, after spending around $15 billion, one high-speed truck hasn’t been laid,” he said, commenting on the government’s report in June on the project. “This report reveals a cold, difficult truth. The California High Speed Railroad Bureau does not have a viable path to complete this project on deadline or budget.”
The report said the project lost contractors and financial controls, failed to raise trains on schedule, lacked electrification funds, and had “no reliable plans” to fill the $7 billion funding gap needed to close the first 170-mile Central Valley segment.
Duffy also directed regulators to consider other grants with the aim of regaining additional federal funds. Just one day before Amtrak announced the new Acera train, his division retracted an additional $175 million allocated to the California railroad project.
“The waste ends here,” Duffy said. “As of today, Americans are investing in failed California experiments. Instead, my department will focus on making travel great again by investing in well-managed projects that can make projects like the high-speed rail a reality.”
State officials claim the project is not over. California’s High Speed Railroad Bureau sued the Trump administration to cut “little, political retaliation” driven by “personal animus on California and the high speed projects, not ground facts.” Its CEO, Ian Choudri, blamed the FRA for the skewed data.
Meanwhile, construction is underway on the first 170 miles of stretch between Merced and Bakersfield. According to Chsra, 70 miles of truck beds and over 50 bridges and elevated tracks have been completed, and truck rays have begun. However, only last week, questions were raised from Gilroy, 60 miles west, about 60 miles west, about a question of whether it should be detoured to save money.
The obstacles remain difficult. Of the $36.3 billion needed for the Central Valley section, only $28.2 billion is protected, with $1 billion annually expected from the state’s emissions tax.
Even when completed, the first line will only connect secondary cities and limit appeals until it reaches San Francisco and Los Angeles. In subsequent stages, we will expand the track to reach Sacramento and San Diego, increasing the total system to 776 miles, but this is still in the early stages of planning.
The entire project could cost up to $135 billion, depending on the final scope and the route it takes. Phase 1, where Merced Bakersfield sections form the core, connects six of California’s 10 largest cities: San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
Supporters argue that the reward will be substantial.
The completed network will feature comparable capacity of 4,200 miles of new highway lanes, 91 additional airport gates and two new runways.
With California’s population expected to exceed 45 million by 2050, supporters see high-speed rail as the most efficient solution to prevent the state from shutting down. Recent polls found that two-thirds of Californians still support the project, but the new legal skirmishes and delays each add to the cost, one of the most expensive rail projects in history.
California is not the only state that will significantly cut federal high-speed rail funds. The Texas Central Railroad, a privately funded plan to connect Dallas and Houston with Japanese-built new trains in 90 minutes, was lit up in green by the first Trump administration.
However, land acquisition and political opposition are hampering progress. The federal government has now withdrawn $64 million in funds, with Director Duffy calling the project a “waste of taxpayer funds.”
Supporters say the project is “ready.” You will need a quarter of the land needed along the station site and the routes you have already acquired, but construction cannot begin without a few billions of fresh investments.
Like many others in Washington, transportation policy has become sharply partisan. President Biden, known as “Amtrakjoe,” loved commuting by train, securing $170 billion for improved railroads under the 2021 Infrastructure Act. Much of that money flows into the northeast corridors to repair aging tunnels and bridges, with some funds set aside to restore services to cities that have long been abandoned by passenger rail.
The Trump administration has taken a different approach, requiring that the focus be on improving performance on time before Amtrak expands. In early 2025, only 72% of trains arrived. One of the long distance routes between Virginia and Florida had only 34% arrival rates. Freight trains that are prioritized over shared trucks are a persistent obstacle.
Even the billions promised by Biden, the US is far behind other countries. China has 31,000 miles of high-speed rail by the end of this year, all built since 2008, with plans of over 43,000 miles by 2035.
The only bright spot on the US high-speed rail could be in shape in the Mohab Desert. Brightline West, a privately owned 218-mile line east of Los Angeles, ties together with Rancho Cucamonga, will begin construction early along with Las Vegas, and is expected to rise from the brothers to Brightline in the second half of 2025. Brightline West was first suspended in 2018.
The $10.4 billion project secured a $3 billion federal grant in October 2024, making it the only high-speed rail venture in the country to maintain federal support.
The line runs along the 15 Interstate corridors and slices across the San Bernardino Mountains and the desert. Once completed, we promise to reduce travel time for over an hour. This is a major improvement over four hours by car or bus. It will also mark the return of passenger trains to Las Vegas for the first time in 30 years. Amtrak cancelled the desert winds in 1997.
However, the timing remains uncertain. Originally scheduled to open in 2027, the line is projected in 2028 or early 2029. Brightline hopes to win around 12 million out of the approximately 50 million yearly one-way trips between Las Vegas and LA.
Train itself – The 10-piece electric set built by Seamens of the Belaro family, used by Eurostar and German Baan, Germany, is designed to reach 217 mph and is firmly placed in the international highway category.
If Brightline West succeeds, it could serve as a template for future, personally funded high-speed rail projects elsewhere in the country. With California’s ambitions, if they do, this line can demonstrate that high-speed rails are not only viable, but also transformative for intercity travel in the United States.
For now, however, such examples remain the exception. The outlook is poor as there are few reliable projects elsewhere and California’s legal and political battles are still hampered.
So despite its relatively low average speeds and reliance on aging tracks, even Amtrak’s new Acera’s modest debut has been greeted by rail supporters as a small but welcome victory.
Sign up to unlock the world, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, as well as the latest aviation, food, drinks and where to stay.
