Why can’t America have high speed rail? Because our investment is a ‘rounding error’ compared with Europe's, says Amtrak’s CEO
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The U.S. lacks high-speed trains due to a lack of political and financial alignment to make the necessary investment, according to Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. The U.S. has an aging infrastructure and has faced competition from the automobile and aviation industries. The $66 billion federal funding for rail in the 2021 infrastructure package is insufficient to build high-speed rail, which would cost approximately $4 trillion. Other countries have made high-speed rail a national priority and have received massive investments from their governments. Amtrak is upgrading passenger rail infrastructure and acquiring new trains, but they are still slower than trains in France, Japan, and China. Amtrak also faces challenges collaborating with freight rail companies. The U.S.'s investment in rail is significantly lower than Europe's. High-speed rail is best suited for shorter distances between cities and is a more environmentally friendly option than air travel or driving.

#HighspeedRail #Amtrak #Infrastructure #Investment #Transportation

https://fortune.com/2024/05/19/high-speed-trains-us-vs-europe-china-japan-amtrak-ceo-freight-infrastructure/