Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why doesn’t high speed rail work in America?
China operates over 50,000 kilometers of high-speed rail (HSR) network,
the world’s largest. The HSR network runs on newly built rail lines at a speed
of over 200 km/h, some over 300 km/h. The network is almost entirely owned and
operated by the state-owned rail transport company. Other major economies, such
as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in Asia, and Spain, France, Germany, Italy,
and the UK in Europe, all have HSR networks that connect major cities. However,
the US has only two relatively high-speed railways: Acela between Boston and DC
via New York, and Brightline, bankrupt yet still operating, between Miami and
Orlando in Florida. While railways are more comfortable and environmentally
friendly than driving or flying, why aren’t US cities connected by high-speed
rail services like other countries? There are several factors that explain why there
is no HSR network except for two in the USA, including lack of government support, politics,
public need, geography, and user convenience.
Read the article and learn why most people fly or drive to travel in
the USA.
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