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High-Speed Rail:  On the Fast Track

By Jaime Rall Vol . 18, No. 20 / April-May 2010

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High-speed rail can complement highways, aviation and public transit.

High-speed, intercity passenger rail has become a high-profile transportation issue. The Obama administration has placed a new emphasis on high-speed rail as a transportation alternative that can complement highways, aviation and public transit, especially in 100- to 600-mile corridors. Although the term “high-speed rail” evokes images of well-known European and Asian trains that travel at more than 250 mph, in 2008 Congress defined it more modestly as “…reasonably expected to reach speeds of at least 110 mph.”  Only three U.S. routes—in Pennsylvania, New York, and between Boston and Washington, D.C.—are currently high-speed by this definition.

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