What Happened to High Speed Rail in the US?

There are/were several projects planned in the US and China. This is the only one in operation: http://www.gluckman.com/Maglev.html

There are lots of studies going on, but in the US there are also a lot of issues that require more money and time to develop an acceptable solution. Current US rail infrastructure is inadequate for high speed rail. Significant amounts of money are needed to upgrade rail bed, signal systems, and rail crossings. Politically, most politicians will say they favor high speed rail. But no politician wants to raise taxes to fund the infrastructure for something that is perceived to possibly benefit a commercial enterprise. They can support money for airports, roads, etc, in their district, but have trouble supporting Amtrak or rail expenditures going across the country. There are serious concerns with rail crossing safety. US record for rail crossing safety will get worse with train speeds over 100 mph without improvements to crossing control systems. And there is a crossing every mile or so that will either need to be closed or improved. A rail/vehicle colision are 50 MPH is bad, a collision at 100 MPH is 4 timew worse. Idiot resitant systems are needed to prevent this from happening. Current rail infrastructure allows for combined passenger/freight traffic. With High Speed rail, this traffic needs to be separated, either by inproved signals and software tracking, or separate rail systems. The short answer is the US is not ready for high speed rail. We have too many other distractions that are using available funding, and too many other options (Air, car, bus) to get from point A to B.

Although, I must agree with Ried, it saddens me. If you have ever ridden one of the high speed trains in Europe I think you would agree it is the finest of surface, or even air travel, in comfort. No sense of motion, quiet, and a lot of nice scenery thrown in.

The real problem w/any mass transit: The mass part. People don't want to give up their personal space. We need a new version. Something along the lines of smart roads that link up cars magnetically, forming more compact & areodynamic groups. Garthh

The real problem is Americans being American. How many auto accidents happen every day compared to a high speed rail in any country. Granted the casualties may be more in the event of a crash, but the casualties everyday on our roads are significantly higher. Like was mentioned, "our" personal space seems to be very valuable. Americans don't like to change as a whole. Soon Americans will be forced to realize that we are quickly falling behind.

The US is geographically different than Europe or most other countries. People coming from Europe usually do not realize the vast distances between destinations. Our states are larger than most countries! People in the US are clueless on the size and geography of Europe or Japan.

Most areas in the US are not too bad to travel through and a train would do little to improve commuter experiences since people are so scattered compared to their work and shopping destinations. Things are geographically dispersed and to interconnect everything would require a huge network.

Additionally, Amtrak has proven to be a very unprofitable venture and has required constant government cash injections to keep it running. People are not willing, through higher train fare nor higher taxes, to support the system beyond its current operational parameters.

There are a few areas in the US, mostly on our coasts, that have congestion problems, but people choose that lifestyle in return for other amenities that it offers. If you don't like it, you can do what I did. I moved! I now have a 10 mile, or 15 minute commute through country roads every day. If I see 6 cars on my way to/from work during the whole trip, that constitutes a traffic jam for me. Instead of spending my time in an over-stuffed train, I spend it driving my 911 past cornfields and forests to a grand home whose cost would not even pay for basic housing in California. Not that I have an issue with what other people want to do and where to live. It just isn't my cup of tea.

High speed trains are a really neat thing (yes, I have been to Europe and they are great), but they are solution for a non-existent problem in the eyes of the US population and no one is willing to pay the big bucks for them for the reasons that everyone else has cited. Nor is there a reason to change for the foreseeable future.