Directive 2008/57/EC defines high-speed rail in terms of speeds of the order of 200 km/h (124 mph) for existing, upgraded lines, and 250 km/h (155 mph) for lines specially built for high-speed travel. In places where high-speed rail programs are in earlier developmental stages or where substantial speed increases are achieved by upgrading current infrastructure and/or introducing more advanced trains, lower minimum speed definitions of high-speed rail are used. In Europe the definition of a minimum speed for newly built high-speed railways is 250 km/h (155 mph) for upgraded high-speed railways it is 200 km/h (124 mph). In China, high-speed rail is officially defined as "newly-built passenger-dedicated rail lines designed for electrical multiple unit (EMU) train sets traveling at not less than 250 km/h (155 mph) (including lines with reserved capacity for upgrade to the 250 km/h standard), on which initial service operate at not less than 200 km/h (124 mph)." Amtrak's Acela is classified as "higher-speed rail" in the Congressional Research Service report by virtue of being on shared tracks, whereas page 5 of that report also requires dedicated tracks to be classified as "very high-speed rail". ![]() There is no current rail service in the United States which meets all of the domestic criteria for high-speed rail. A legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, used different terms to clarify the confusion by defining rail services with top speeds less than 150 mph (240 km/h) to be higher-speed rail. The United States Department of Transportation, an entity in the executive branch, defines it as rail service with top speeds ranging from 110 to 150 miles per hour (180 to 240 km/h) or higher, while the United States Code, which is the official codification of Federal statutes, defines it as rail service "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour". Definitions in American context Īuthorities in the United States maintain various definitions of high-speed rail. The Central Valley section is planned to open in 2029 and Phase I is planned for completion in 2033. Other services reaching 125 mph (201 km/h) are prevalent in the US, and are officially classified as higher-speed rail.Īs of 2023 the California High-Speed Rail Authority is working on the California High-Speed Rail project and construction is under way on sections traversing the Central Valley. Acela trains will reach top speeds of 165 mph (266 km/h) when new trains enter service, and 186 mph (299 km/h) in coming years. ![]() Īmtrak's Acela, which reaches 150 mph (240 km/h) over 49.9 mi (80.3 km) of track, is the US's only high-speed rail service. Inter-city rail with top speeds between 90 and 125 mph (140 and 200 km/h) is sometimes referred to in the United States as higher-speed rail. Definitions of what constitutes high-speed rail vary, including a range of speeds over 110 mph (180 km/h) and dedicated rail lines. Despite being one of the world's first countries to get high-speed trains (the Metroliner service in 1969), it failed to spread. Various state and federal proposals have followed. Plans for high-speed rail in the United States date back to the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965. Inter-Regional Amtrak’s inter-regional trains are mobility machines, connecting cities to distant rural areas.Amtrak Acela train at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. ![]() Southeast The Southeast has some of the fastest-growing and most culturally innovative cities in the country.Northeast Home to Wall Street, the Northeast is the financial, healthcare, insurance, and tech capital of the U.S.Southwest The Southwest is home to the global epicenter of popular entertainment and tourism.Northwest The Northwest is a hub of the global tech sector, with vibrant cities and natural beauty.South Central The South Central region is anchored by four of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S.Midwest The Midwest has the size and power to transform America’s entire transportation system.From the mountains and lush forests of Cascadia, to the plains and Great Lakes of the Midwest, to the bluegrass and sweet wetlands of the Southeast-every region is unique.
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