In Europe and Asia, there are numerous high-speed rail (HSR) lines. For 2015, the U.S. High Speed Rail Association reported that there were 29,792km (18,512 miles) of high-speed lines, 3,603 train sets in operation and 1.6 billion passengers traveling on those lines annually. China alone laid about 19,000km (roughly 12,000 miles) of HSR in just nine years.
Compared to other industrialized countries, the U.S. is woefully behind. Depending on one’s definition of HSR—which we’ll get to in a minute—there are about 32km (20 miles) of track in which Amtrak’s Acela Express line reaches 240 km/h (150 mph).
Why is the U.S., which is usually so proud of its technological acumen, so slow on the railway tracks? We looked into a number of factors and spoke to experts driving HSR initiatives in the country to learn the answer.
What Is High-Speed Rail?
First things first, let’s get our definition of HSR out of the way. Though there is no single definition of HSR, a rail line is generally considered “high-speed” if it meets the following criteria:
- Relies on tracks that have been built for or upgraded for HSR
- Has a minimum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) on tracks built for HSR and 200 km/h (124 mph) on classic tracks upgraded for HSR in at least one section of the line.
- The train itself, referred to as “rolling stock” in railway lingo, is designed specifically for HSR
Unlike conventional trains, in which multiple cars are pulled by a single…