- Alex Fitzpatrick, author ofAxios What’s Next (axios.com)
The Biden administration announced Friday the largest federal investment in passenger trains in decades, with $8.2 billion in new funding for high-speed rail and other projects nationwide.
Why it matters: Rail travel is considered a relatively clean way to get lots of people from point A to B, especially compared with aviation — but the U.S. rail network is sorely lagging behind that of peer nations in Europe and Asia.
Driving the news: The big highlight is two multibillion-dollar packages for planned high-speed rail projects.
- One would connect Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, California (just east of Los Angeles) using electrified trains.
- It’s expected to carry more than 11 million passengers annually, the White House said, with roughly two-hour trips — half the typical drive time.
- It’s being built by Brightline, a private train operator that’s been expanding across Florida and is now setting its eyes westward.
The other package would provide for high-speed rail travel between Bakersfield and Merced, California.
- The new all-electric trains “will produce zero emissions and be powered by 100% renewable energy,” per the White House.
Meanwhile, new investment will support improved train infrastructure in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, the Washington, D.C. area, Chicago and more.
Yes, and: New Amtrak service connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati is also on the table, as is a line connecting Scranton and New York City.
- And Amtrak and Texas Central (another private high-speed rail company) are exploring a partnership around Houston-Dallas service.
The big picture: The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which been a key part of President Biden’s domestic agenda, is helping to fund these rail projects.
