US Struggles to Build High-Speed Rail

Chris Palmer

Engineering ›› : 202601019

PDF (851KB)
Engineering ›› :202601019 DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.01.019
News & Highlights
research-article
US Struggles to Build High-Speed Rail
Author information +
History +
PDF (851KB)

Cite this article

Download citation ▾
Chris Palmer. US Struggles to Build High-Speed Rail. Engineering 202601019 DOI:10.1016/j.eng.2026.01.019

登录浏览全文

4963

注册一个新账户 忘记密码

References

[1]

Funk J. Trump administration wants to hand out $2.4 billion it took from California’s high-speed railroad [Internet]. New York City: Associated Press; 2025 Sep 23 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://apnews.com/article/railroad-grants-california-high-speed-diversity-duffy-3e3c5eeb6f2bf56d31d1c8b0cd306c72.

[2]

Milman O. Billions spent, miles to go: the story of California’s failure to build high-speed rail [Internet]. Seattle: Grist; 2025 Sep 8 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://grist.org/transportation/billions-spent-miles-to-go-the-story-of-californias-failure-to-build-high-speed-rail/.

[3]

Forbes S. California’s high-speed rail project is a disgraceful boondoggle [Internet]. New York City: Forbes; 2025 Sep 17 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/09/17/californias-high-speed-rail-project-is-a-disgraceful-boondoggle/.

[4]

Baig Y. For California high-speed rail to succeed, part of the Central Valley will have to wait [Internet]. Sacramento: CalMatters; 2025 Aug 22 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/08/california-high-speed-rail-strategy/.

[5]

Vartabedian R. How California’s faltering high-speed rail project was ‘captured’ by costly consultants [Internet]. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times; 2019 Apr 26 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-high-speed-rail-consultants-20190426-story.html.

[6]

Brinckerhoff P. California high-speed train project: TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM alignment design standards for high-speed train operation TM 2.1.2. Sacramento: California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA); 2009.

[7]

California high-speed rail [Internet]. Zurich: Loco-Technology; 2025 Jan 11 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.loco-technology.com/2025/ 01/california-high-speed-rail.html.

[8]

Brinckerhoff P.California high-speed train project: TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM fault hazard analysis and mitigation guidelines TM 2.10.6. Sacramento: California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA); 2014.

[9]

Joffe M. Central Valley subsidence and flooding are the next threat to high-speed rail [Internet]. Washington: Cato Institute; 2023 Jun 21 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.cato.org/commentary/central-valley-subsidence-flooding-are-next-threat-high-speed-rail.

[10]

High-speed rail connection between Palmdale, Burbank gets environmental OK [Internet]. Los Angeles: Spectrum News 1; 2024 Jun 27 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/transportation/2024/06/27/high-speed-rail-connection-palmdale-burbank.

[11]

McLoughlin M. Geotechnical investigations for the California high-speed rail program, Palmdale to Burbank [Internet]. Sacramento: California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA); 2015 Dec 23 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2015128380.

[12]

Early earthquake warning [Internet]. Sacramento: California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA); undated [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://hsr.ca.gov/about/safety/early-earthquake-warning/.

[13]

Clinnick R. Final foundation laid on Caltrain electrification project [Internet]. London: Rail Journal; 2022 Feb 1 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https:// www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/final-foundation-laid-on-caltrain-electrification-project/.

[14]

Wybrew A. This high-speed train could be the first to be powered entirely by renewable energy [Internet]. Lyon: Euronews; 2023 Jul 12 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/07/12/this-high-speed-train-could-be-the-first-to-be-powered-entirely-by-renewable-energy.

[15]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The state of California’s draft priority climate action plan. Sacramento: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2024.

[16]

Pegoraro R. Amtrak’s new Acela trains can’t keep up with high-speed rail [Internet]. New York City: Fast Company; 2025 Oct 6 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.fastcompany.com/91413859/acela-amtrak-train-new-york.

[17]

Braun MZ. California-to-Vegas high-speed rail costs jump $5.5 Billion [Internet]. New York City: Bloomberg; 2025 Oct 1 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-01/california-to-vegas-high-speed-rail-costs-jump-by-5-5-billion.

[18]

US Department of Transportation.US transportation secretary Sean P. Duffy announces agreement to save taxpayers over $60 million by ending grant for Texas high-speed rail project [Internet]. Washington: US Department of Transportation; 2025 Apr 14 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-agreement-save-taxpayers-over-60.

[19]

US Department of Transportation.President Trump’s transportation secretary Sean P. Duffy cancels $26 million in funds for doomed DC-Baltimore maglev boondoggle [Internet]. Washington: US Department of Transportation; 2025 Aug 1 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/president-trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-cancels-26-million-funds.

[20]

Cameron J. Amtrak’s new Acela starts soon. Worth the wait? [Internet]. Hartford: Connecticut Mirror; 2025 Aug 17 [cited 2025 Dec 4]. Available from: https://ctmirror.org/2025/08/17/amtraks-new-acela-starts-soon-worth-the-wait/.

[21]

Kimmelman M. What’s so hard about building trains? [Internet]. New York City: New York Times; 2025 Apr 1 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/travel/brightline-florida-rail-trains-america.html.

[22]

Jun AWM. China’s high-speed rail is overbuilt. But that’s not the point [Internet]. Hong Kong: Asia Sentinel; 2024 Aug 21 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/china-high-speed-rail-overbuilt-not-the-point.

[23]

Poole R. China’s high-speed rail boondoggle [Internet]. Los Angeles: Reason Foundation; 2025 Sep 11 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://reason. org/transportation-news/chinas-high-speed-rail-boondoggle/.

[24]

Spegele B. China is building 30,000 miles of high-speed rail—that it might not need [Internet]. New York City: Wall Street Journal; 2024 Nov 20 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.wsj.com/world/china/xi-high-speed-trains-china-3ef4d7f0.

[25]

Wangshu L. China’s CR450: A new era of high-speed rail at 400 km/h [Internet]. Beijing: China Daily; 2024 Dec 29 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202412/29/ WS67714d81a310f1265a1d57d6.html.

[26]

Ollivier G. How China builds high-speed rail for less [Internet]. London: International Railway Journal; 2014 Oct 9 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.railjournal.com/in_depth/how-china-builds-high-speed-rail-for-less/.

[27]

Cech L. JR East will introduce E10 series, integrating passengers and parcels operations [Internet]. Prague: Railmarket News; 2025 Mar 6 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://railmarket.com/news/rolling-stock/30830-jr-east-will-introduce-e10-series-integrating-passengers-and-parcels-operations.

[28]

Akhromieieva M. Japan’s railways adopt AI for high-speed train maintenance [Internet]. Prague: Rail Target; 2024 Jan 24 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.railtarget.eu/technologies-and-infrastructure/japans-railways-adopt-ai-for-highspeed-train-maintenance-7585.html.

[29]

International High-speed Rail Association. Shinkansen’s measures against earthquakes [Internet]. Tokyo: International High-speed Rail Association; 2022 Oct 14 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.ihra-hsr.org/en/ report/archives/20221014_000710.html.

[30]

Japan’s shinkansen best in world at safety, punctuality, tech, but not marketing [Internet]. Tokyo: Japan Today; 2015 Mar 22 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/japans-shinkansen-best-in-world-at-safety-punctuality-tech-but-not-marketing.

[31]

High-speed trains in Europe:an overview [Internet]. London: Influential Future; undated [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://influentialfuture.com/pages-54-high-speed-trains-in-europe-an-overview.

[32]

EU transport leaders advocate for ambitious high-speed rail master plan [Internet]. Kent: Global Railway Review; 2024 Sep 23 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/news/178494/eu-transport-leaders-advocate-high-speed-rail-master-plan/.

[33]

European Commission. Commission adopts milestones for the completion of Rail Baltica [Internet]. Brussels: European Commission; 2025 Jul 9 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/commission-adopts-milestones-completion-rail-baltica-2025-07-09_en.

[34]

European Commission.EU invests €2.8 billion in 94 transport projects to boost sustainable and connected mobility across Europe [Internet]. Brussels: European Commission; 2025 Jul 2 [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1705.

PDF (851KB)

22

Accesses

0

Citation

Detail

Sections
Recommended

/