Higher-speed rail
Higher-speed rail, also known as high-performance rail, higher-performance rail, or almost-high-speed rail, is the jargon used to describe inter-city passenger rail services that have top speeds of more than conventional rail but are not high enough to be called high-speed rail services. The term is also used by planners to identify the incremental rail improvements to increase train speeds and reduce travel time as alternatives to larger efforts to create or expand the high-speed rail networks. Some countries use the term medium-speed rail, or semi-high speed rail instead.
Though the definition of high speed rail varies from country to country, but usually refers to rail services operating at speeds around 200 km/h. Such services would include the Acela Express in the United States and the fastest express trains in India.
The concept is usually views as stemming from efforts to upgrade a legacy railway line to high speed railway standards, but usually falling short on the intended speeds. The faster speeds are achieved through various means including new rolling stock such as tilting trains, upgrades to tracks including shallower curves, electrification, in-cab signalling, and less frequent halts/stops.
Definitions by country
As with the definitions of high-speed rail, the definition varies by country. The term has been used by government agencies, government officials, transportation planners, academia, the rail industry, and the media, but sometime with overlaps in the speed definitions. Some countries with an established definition of higher-speed rail include:- In Canada, according to the Surface Transportation Policy, Department of Transport, the speed range for higher-speed rail is between.
- In India, according to the Minister of Railways, the speed range for India's higher-speed rail will be between.
- In the United Kingdom, the term higher-speed rail is used for upgraded tracks with train speeds up to
- In the United States, the term "higher-speed rail", as opposed to "high-speed rail", is used by regional planners in many U.S. states to describe inter-city passenger rail services with top speeds of between and. This is the equivalent of the definition of "Emerging High-Speed Rail" as defined by the Federal Railroad Administration. However, the Congressional Research Service defines "Higher Speed Rail" as rail services with speeds up to and defines rail services on dedicated tracks with speeds over as "Very High Speed Rail".State-level departments of transportation and council of governments may use different definitions. Below is the list of known definitions of higher-speed rail which use some of the 5 speed levels,,,, and :
- In Thailand, higher-speed rail is called medium-speed rail. They have top speeds of up to.
Speed limits
In the United States, railroad tracks are largely used for freight with at-grade crossings. Passenger trains in many corridors run on shared tracks with freight trains. Most trains are limited to top speeds of unless they are equipped with an automatic cab signal, automatic train stop, automatic train control or positive train control system approved by the Federal Railroad Administration. In developing higher-speed rail services, one of those safety systems must be used.
Additionally, the FRA establishes classification of track quality which regulates the speed limits of the trains with Class 5, Class 6, Class 7 and Class 8 for top speeds of,, and, respectively. The FRA also regulates passenger train design and safety standards to ensure trains that operate at speeds of up to comply with its Tier I standard and trains that operate at speeds up to comply with its Tier II standard.
Another limitation is the safety of grade crossings which limits how fast the trains can go. FRA regulations set speed limits for tracks with grade crossings as follows: Level crossings are generally the most dangerous part of the railway network with a large number of fatal incidents occurring at a grade crossing.
- For or less: Grade crossings are permitted. States and railroads cooperate to determine the needed warning devices, including passive crossbucks, flashing lights, two quadrant gates, long gate arms, median barriers, and various combinations. Lights and/or gates are activated by circuits wired to the track.
- For : The FRA permits crossings only if an "impenetrable barrier" blocks highway traffic when a train approaches.
- Above : No crossings will be permitted.
With the above limitations, many regional transportation planners focus on rail improvements to have the top speeds up to 110 mph when proposing a new higher-speed rail service.
Similar categories
In countries where there had been rail improvement projects in the later part of the 20th century and into the 2000s, there are inter-city rail services with comparable speed ranges of higher-speed rail, but they are not specifically called "higher-speed rail". Below are some examples of such services that are still in operation.- Europe: The InterCity services in many European countries have top speeds of mostly up to, but it can go up to. Intercity trains that cross international borders are usually designated as Eurocity and reach similar speeds where tracks allow it. High-Speed Trains also may use upgraded and electrified lines that are not purpose-built during part of their journey at up to 220 km/h.
- Japan: The Mini-shinkansen in Japan are upgraded lines from narrow gauge to allow Shinkansen to pass through with top speeds of. However, the International Union of Railways recognizes the Mini-shinkansen lines as high-speed rail.
- Spain: Many inter-city rail services operated by Renfe Operadora, the state-owned company, are not classified as high-speed rail. Those services are Alaris, Altaria, Arco and Talgo with top speeds of
- In Norway, there is sometimes talked about høy hastighet, which may be compared to higher-speed rail as used here – and høyhastighet, high-speed rail. Most of the rail network is old, with sharp curves, and speeds at only 70–130 km/h. The lines around Oslo are upgraded or renewed, or are planned to be so. Some of the sections, like Follobanen, are built or planned for 250 km/h – though others to høy hastighet, i.e. 160 or 200 km/h. By the same token, the Norwegian FLIRT trains and the El 18 locomotives have a top speed of 200 km/h. Gardermobanen is called a high-speed line, and the GMB Class 71 and NSB Class 73 are often called high-speed trains – with 210 km/t top speed. However, the limits are blurry. Sometimes, e.g. the FLIRTs are called high-speed trains.
- Sweden: SJ operates inter-city rail services using X 2000 trains in major routes across the country with top speeds of. The operator brands it as high-speed rail services; however, the International Union of Railways only recognizes the line from Stockholm to Malmö and Göteborg as the only high-speed rail line in Sweden which is still in the planning stage.
- In Germany regional trains along the Munich-Nuremberg high speed line which was built for 300 km/h run at 200 km/h without being specially designated. Those trains use locomotives that are used for Intercity trains elsewhere and the higher speed was chosen mainly to increase capacity.
- The United Kingdom has service which run at 125 mph or 200 km/h, such as the ECML, WCML, GWML and MML
Commuter rail services
- Numerous regional ICRs in China such as Dongguan–Huizhou intercity railway and Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan intercity railway operate up to.
- Coaster links Oceanside, California and San Diego on Pacific Surfliner trackage with top speeds of
- MARC Penn Line covers on Northeast Corridor trackage and has been upgraded to
- Metrolink Orange County Line and Inland /empire Line, also on Pacific Surfliner trackage, operate at top speeds of on segments south of Santa Ana and in Camp Pendleton.
- Caltrain electrification project is underway between San Francisco to Tamien Station as part of upgrades for blended service with CHSR. The Caltrain trains will be capable of reaching speeds of up to.
Rail improvement strategies
Signal upgrades
In Australia, the increased top speeds from in the Regional Fast Rail project required a change to the signalling system to account for increased braking distance. Prior to the project, the system comprised a mixture of equipment from pre-WWI mechanical signalling to the remote control systems of the 1980s. In some cases, operators needed to telephone the local operators to manually control the signal boxes. With the new speeds, the signalling needed to be computerized. The project employed the Solid State Interlocking with the newly laid fiber-optic communication between the components to use three computer systems to control the signals. When the output of one computer differs from the other two, the system will fail that computer and continue the signal operations as long as the outputs from the other two computers are consistent. The project deployed the Train Protection & Warning System which allows the system to automatically applies the brakes at a sufficient distance to stop the train if the driver does not control the speeds adequately. The project also incorporated Train Control and Monitoring System to allow real-time monitoring of the position of trains.In the United States, the first step to increase top speeds from is to install a new signal system that incorporates FRA-approved positive train control system that is compatible with higher-speed rail operation. They are both transponder-based and GPS-based PTC systems currently in use in the United States. By a mandate, a significant portion of the railroads in the United States will be covered by PTC by the end of 2015.
Track improvements
To support trains that run regularly at higher speeds, the rails need to be reliable. Most freight tracks have wooden ties which cause rails to become slightly misaligned over time due to wood rot, splitting and spike-pull. The concrete ties used to replace them are intended to make the track more stable, particularly with changes in temperature. Rail joints are also an issue, since most conventional rail lines use bolts and fishplates to join two sections of the rail together. This causes the joint to become slightly misaligned over time due to loosening bolts. To make for a smoother ride at higher speeds, the lengths of rail may be welded together to form continuous welded rail. However, the continuous welded rails are vulnerable to stress due to changes in temperature.In Australia, the track condition before the Regional Fast Rail project could only support trains up to speeds of. The tracks are with mixture of wooden and concrete ties. The rail weight varies but with majority being. The track upgrade in the project included changing to use concrete ties and to use new standard of rail weight at in order to support the new top speeds of.
There may be restriction in maximum operating speeds due to track geometry of existing line, especially on curves. Straightening the route, where possible, will reduce the travel time by increasing the allowable speeds and by reducing the length of track. When straight routes are not possible, reducing the number of curves and lowering the degree of curvature would result in higher achievable speeds on those curves. An example is the elimination of three consecutive reverse curves in favor of one larger curve. Raising superelevation may be considered for sharp curves which significantly limit speed. The higher speeds on those modified curves, together with the higher superelevation, will require track modification to have transition spirals to and from those curves to be longer.
Old turnouts may need replacement to allow trains to run through the turnouts at higher speeds. In the United States, some old turnouts have speed limit of. Even with newer turnouts, the diverging speed limit is still at which would significantly slow down the higher-speed train passing through those sections. High-speed turnouts are capable of handling maximum diverging speeds of.
In order to minimize the downtime to upgrade tracks, a track renewal train can automate much of the process, replacing rails, ties, and ballast at the rate of 2 miles per day. In the United States, a TRT is used by Union Pacific Railroad on the track shared with future higher-speed rail service in Illinois area.
For electrified track, the old catenary may need to be replaced. The fixed-tension catenary which is acceptable for low speeds may not be suitable for regular higher-speed rail services, where a constant tension is automatically maintained when temperature changes cause the length of the wire to expand or contract.
Crossing improvements
With trains running at higher speeds throughout the route, safety at all at-grade crossings needs to be considered.In Australia, the levels of upgrade of the crossing in the rail improvements project were based on the risk analysis. The improvements included flashing light protection, automatic full barriers protection, and pedestrian gates crossings. The project also introduced the use of rubber panels at the crossings.
In the United States, the FRA limits train speeds to without an "impenetrable barrier" at each crossing. Even with that top speed, the grade crossings must have adequate means to prevent collisions. Another option is grade separation, but it could be cost-prohibitive and the planners may opt for at-grade crossing improvements instead.
The safety improvements at crossings can be done using combination of techniques. This includes passive devices such as upgraded signage and pavement markings. Another low-cost passive device is median separators which are installed along the center line of roadways, extending approximately 70 to 100 feet from the crossing, to discourage drivers from running around the crossing gates. More active devices include the four-quadrant gate, which blocks both sides of each traffic lane. Longer gate arms can cover 3/4 of the roadway. Video cameras can also be installed to catch the violators. A signal monitoring system can also be installed to alert the crews when the crossing equipment has malfunctioned.
In Norway, grade crossing speed are not permitted to exceed 160 km/h.
Rerouting and passing sidings
In areas where there is frequent interference between freight and passenger trains due to congestion which causes the passenger trains to slow down, more extensive improvements may be needed. Certain segments of the line in congested areas may need to be rerouted. New track may need to be laid to avoid many curves which slow down the trains. In stretches of heavy freight train traffic, adding passing sidings along the segment should be considered. Sometimes certain stations may need to be bypassed.Electrification
Another consideration is electrification. Electrifying a railway line entails a major upgrade to the rail infrastructure and equipment. On the infrastructure side, it requires catenary lines to be built above the tracks. New transmission lines are needed to carry power from the power plants. Substations are required for each of the lengths to reduce severe voltage losses. There is also a need to consider the required amount of power supply and new power plants may be required. For locomotives, new electric locomotives are needed or existing diesel-electric locomotives can be retrofitted into all-electric locomotives, but it is a complicated task. These factors cause electrification to have high initial investment costs. The advantages of all-electric locomotives are that they provide quieter, cleaner and more reliable operations than the diesel-electric counterpart. The fuel consumption, locomotive maintenance costs and track wear of all all-electric locomotives are also lower. Furthermore, electric traction makes the operator more independent of oil price fluctuations and imports, as electricity can be generated from domestic resources or renewable energy. This was a major consideration in the electrification of the German Democratic Republic network, as lignite was cheap and plentiful domestically whereas oil had to be imported at world market prices.An alternative to catenary lines is to use a third rail system which has a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. However the operating speeds of this type of systems cannot be greater than due to its limitation of the power supply gaps at turnouts and grade crossings. Therefore, the third rail system is not generally used for higher-speed rail.
One example in the United States that does involve electrification is the Keystone Improvement Project to provide higher-speed rail service along the Harrisburg-Pittsburgh segment of the Keystone Corridor in Pennsylvania. The plan includes additional track, a new signal system and electrification. If completed as planned, this would allow Amtrak to utilize electric power continuously on service from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The first segment has already been using electric locomotives with a top speed of.
In operation
Australia
In 1999, the concept of Regional Fast Rail project was initiated by the State Government of Victoria with a goal to provide express higher-speed rail services between 4 main regional centres of Victoria and Melbourne. The initiative included a key component to upgrade rail infrastructure to have top speeds up to. The development phase of initiative was between 2000 and 2002. Finally, the services on four lines began between 2005 and 2006 with top speeds of 160 km/h using VLocity trains. Additionally, the services provided by Queensland Rail's Tilt Train, the Transwa Prospector and NSW Trainlink's XPT are considered higher-speed rail and all of those trains have a top service speed of 160 km/h.The New South Wales XPT is the main long-distance passenger train operated by NSW TrainLink on regional railway services in New South Wales, Australia from Sydney to Dubbo, Grafton, and Casino as well as interstate destinations, Brisbane and Melbourne. The XPT is based on the British Rail designed High Speed Train and entered service in April 1982. It came to fruition in January 1978 when the Public Transport Commission invited tenders for 25 high-speed railcars similar to the Prospector railcars delivered by Comeng to the Western Australian Government Railways in 1971. Comeng's proposal for a train based off the InterCity 125 was announced as the successful bidder in October 1976.
The Tilt Train is the name for two similar tilting train services, one electric and the other diesel, operated by Queensland Rail on the North Coast line from Brisbane to Rockhampton and Cairns. In May 1999 the Electric Tilt Train set an Australian train speed record of north of Bundaberg, a record that still stands.
The Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC class are a class of railcars built by United Goninan, Broadmeadow for Transwa in 2004/05 to replace the WAGR WCA/WCE class railcars on the AvonLink and Prospector services in Australia. They are capable of high-speed operation.
China
In China, higher-speed railways are railways that are not officially categorized as high-speed rail but allow CRH EMUs run on it with speeds up to 200 km/h. Typically these lines are classified as Grade I conventional railways and are used by both passenger and freight services.Note that the majority of high-speed lines are also called "passenger-only" lines. Inside mainland China this word invokes a sense of higher-speed rail but the wording usage is inconsistent.
Train identifiers
Identifiers starting with G indicates at least part of the train's route operates at a maximum 300 km/h or above and not running at deliberately reduced speed on any section. Other sections of the route may have lower speeds as low as 160 km/h.Identifiers starting with C indicates short distance travel using CRH trains, the maximum speed is irrelevant.
Identifiers starting with D indicates CRH services with maximum speed 265 km/h or less, including overnight sleepers on 310 km/h Beijing-Guangzhou line.
Identifiers starting with S indicates metropolitan services using CRH rolling stock and have a different fare system to the national one. Their maximum speed is 160 km/h.
Note: The start and end station in the following lists accounts only CRH services.
Conventional lines running CRH services
| Line name | Line name | start station | end station | Train identifiers | Note |
| Southern Xinjiang* | 南疆线 | / | C T K Y none | ||
| Lanzhou-Xinjiang * | 兰新线西段 | C T K Y | Bole station where Boltala Prefecture branch splits is no longer a passenger stop. | ||
| Jinghe-Khorgos | 精伊霍铁路 | C T K Y | |||
| Boltala Prefecture Branch | 博州支线 | C T K Y | |||
| Liuyuan-Golmud* | 柳格线柳敦段 | D K Y none | No CRH train from/to Dunhuang stops at Yumen. | ||
| Changchun-Baicheng Baicheng-Arxan* | 长白·白阿线 | C Z K | |||
| Hohhot-Ordos | 呼鄂线 | D Z K | |||
| Beijing Suburban: Huairou-Miyun | 北京市郊怀密线 | S | |||
| Beijing Suburban: Sub-Center | 北京市郊副中心线 | S | |||
| Tianjin-Jizhou | 津蓟铁路 | S | |||
| Beijing-Qinhuangdao | 京秦线 | D Z T K Y | Both conventional and high-speed services has some detouring to Tianjin instead. | ||
| Xiong'an Area | 雄安地区动车 | D Z T K Y | Section between and is high-speed Tianjin–Baoding intercity railway. G class trains running solely on aforementioned section is not counted. Section between Shijiazhuang and Xushui East is Beijing–Guangzhou railway. Section between Bazhou West and Beijing South is Beijing–Kowloon railway. | ||
| Northern Tongpu Quadruple Track* | 北同蒲三四线 | D Z K | Part of Datong-Xi'an high-speed line. | ||
| Beijing-Shanghai Overnight Sleepers | 京沪动卧 | D | 2/1/3 pair of trains between Beijing and Shanghai/Nanjing/Hangzhou daily. Trains to Hangzhou have section between Kunshan and Hangzhou runs via Shanghai–Kunming railway and does not stop at Shanghai. | ||
| Longkou-Yantai | 龙烟线 | D | |||
| Nanjing-Qidong* | 宁启线南启段 | D | Section between Nanjing and Nantong is 200km/h | ||
| CR Shanghai Suburban | 上海局市域 | S | Locally administered | ||
| CR Shanghai Suburban | 上海局市域 | S | Locally administered | ||
| Dazhou-Chengdu* | 达成线成遂段 | D Z T K | Section between Suining and Chengdu is 200km/h | ||
| Xiangyang-Chongqing* | 襄渝线达渝段 | D T K | |||
| Nanchong-Gaoxing | 南高线 | D | Gaoxing station connects to Dazhou-Chongqing but is not a passenger stop | ||
| Shimen County-Changsha | 石长线 | D T K | |||
| Kunming-Hekou* | 昆玉河铁路 | C K | CRH service between Yuxi and Kunming South run on Kunming–Yuxi intercity railway | ||
| Shanghai-Kunming* | 沪昆线宣昆段 | C Z T K none | |||
| Litang-Zhanjiang* | 黎湛线贵玉段 | D T K none | |||
| Shejiang-Shantou* | 畲汕线潮汕至汕头 | G D K |
Newly built lines operating less than 200km/h speed
| Line name | Line name | start station | end station | Train identifiers | Note |
| Shanghai Area: Jinshan | 金山线 | C? | Also called Shanghai Metro Line 22. | ||
| Zhongchuan Airport intercity | 中川机场城际 | C D | Lanzhou Area only except a single round trip to/from Tianshui South. | ||
| Beijing Subway Daxing Airport Express | 北京地铁大兴机场线 | Unknown | Not part of CR System. | ||
| Baotou-Xi'an* | 包西线西延段 | D Z T K | Different from Baotou–Xi'an High-speed Railway. | ||
| Nanjing-Chengdu* | 宁蓉线宜凉段 | G D Z K | Passenger service branches at. | ||
| Lanzhou-Chongqing | 兰渝铁路 | G D Z K | |||
| Changsha-Zhuzhou/Xiangtan | 长株潭城际铁路 | / | C | ||
| Guiyang-Kaiyang | 贵开城际铁路 | C | |||
| Guangzhou-Shenzhen | 广深线 | C D | Through operation to , it operates at 180km/h. |
Designated 200km/h, operating 160km/h lines with currently no C/D/G class services
| Line name | Line name | start station | end station | Train identifiers | Note |
| Jining-Baotou quadtuple track* | 集包第二双线 | Z T K none | The section between Hohhot East and Baotou is high-speed rail. The section between Jining South and Hohhot differs from Zhangjiakou–Hohhot high-speed railway. | ||
| Taiyuan-Zhongwei/Yinchuan Corridor | 太中银通道 | / | Z T K none |
Slow speeds on lines normally running high-speed
This section lists the deliberately reduced scenarios mentioned in "train identifiers" section above.| Line name | Line name | start station | end station | Train identifiers | Note |
| Southeast coastal sleepers | 沪广动卧 | / | / | D | Section between Shanghai and Hangzhou uses Shanghai-Kunming high-speed line. Section between Shenzhen North and Zhuhai uses Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed line and Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity line. |
| Beijing-Guangzhou sleepers | 京广动卧 | and others | D | Overnight service to,, and using Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen, Guangzhou-Zhuhai, Xinhui-Maoming-Zhanjiang and Shanghai-Kunming high-speed lines. |
Greece
Since 1997, ongoing construction to upgrade and built higher-speed lines capable of speeds of up to is conducted. The P.A.Th.E. Plan, as it is called aims at reduced journey times between Greece's main cities as well as an improved rail connection between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. Currently, only the modernized lines of Domokos–Thessaloniki, Athens Airport–Kiato, and Thessaloniki–Strymonas are in operation at maximum speeds of.United States
This is the list of the current higher-speed rail services from the East Coast to the West Coast:| Corridor / Segment | Service name | Length | Equipment | Power | Top speed | Avg speed | Note |
| Washington, DC–Boston, MA | Northeast Regional | 457 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Electric | 125 | 57 | Trains run on Northeast Corridor trackage shared by high-speed Acela Express trains. This service also qualifies as high-speed rail in certain portions of its route when traveling at its maximum speed,. |
| Philadelphia–Harrisburg, PA | Keystone | 104 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Electric | 125 | 59 | |
| New York City–Albany, NY | Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Adirondack, Ethan Allen Express | 141 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 110 | 56 | |
| New Haven, CT–Springfield, MA | New Haven–Springfield Shuttle, Vermonter, Northeast Regional | 62 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 110 | 47 | Amtrak services running on the New Haven–Springfield Line started operating at on June 16, 2018. |
| Chicago, IL–Detroit/Pontiac, MI | Wolverine | 304 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 110 | 57 | As of 2014, a portion allows speeds up to. Another portion of is under construction to increase to those speeds. |
| Chicago, IL–Port Huron, MI | Blue Water | 319 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 110 | As of 2014, a portion allows speeds up to. | |
| Chicago, IL–St. Louis, MO | Lincoln Service | 284 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 110 | ||
| Chicago, IL–Los Angeles, CA | Southwest Chief | 2,256 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 90 | 55 | |
| Los Angeles–San Diego, CA | Pacific Surfliner | 130 | locomotive-hauled coaches | Diesel-electric | 90 | 55 | There is a study in place to increase maximum speed to when funding is available. |
Earlier attempts
Canada
There have been several different attempts at higher speed rail in the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, and several high speed rail attempts as well.Ireland
In 2010, there was a report commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport as a mid-term review of Transport 21, an Irish infrastructure plan announced in 2005. The report recommended, among other things, a development of national rail to provide higher-speed rail services. However, there have been no progress toward the recommendation.United States
There have been long-range visions to establish high/higher-speed rail networks in different regions of the United States but without adequate funding. During the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, there was a surge of interest to apply for grants from the federal government to start those projects. However, many proposals have been put on hold or cancelled after failing to secure funding or support from the public or key local politicians.Amtrak Cascades
Amtrak Cascades, a intercity rail service, stretches from Eugene, Oregon, through the State of Washington to Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. As of 2010, the long-term goal of this corridor was to have the top speeds of the segment of Eugene, Oregon, to Blaine, Washington, with top speeds in the range, and eventually on a dedicated track. However, as of 2012, the Washington State Department of Transportation plans for its stretch to have top speeds of only, and the plan in Oregon is to limit the speeds to 79 mph as well, with safety and other freight service concerns voiced by the track owner, Union Pacific Railroad. This essentially halts the plan to provide a higher-speed rail service on this corridor in the near future.Minnesota
The Northern Lights Express project, in the planning stages and proposed to begin construction in 2017, would upgrade the BNSF trackage between Minneapolis and Duluth to support service up to.Other higher-speed rail proposals are periodically considered, but would need to pass through neighboring states, which have thus far not agreed to cooperate. Minnesota transportation planners proposed a higher-speed rail service called the River Route, with top speeds of, between Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Chicago, Illinois, via Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which follows the Empire Builder route. There is no current progress with the River Route project due to the cancellation of the funding in Wisconsin.
Another alternative that has been discussed is to have a new route that heads south to Iowa to join the rail link from Iowa to Chicago. There was a report in 2011 that Iowa would halt its involvement in high/higher-speed rail projects. However, the Iowa Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation continue to pursue the study of rail link between Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska, through Iowa with top speeds of. Therefore, the status of the proposal to link Minneapolis–Saint Paul with Chicago via Iowa is unknown.
New York
In 1998, New York State initiated a $185 million program in partnership with Amtrak to increase the speeds of the Empire Service to by reconstructing all seven gas-turbine Turboliner trainsets, originally built in 1976–1977, to the new RTL-III specification. The reconstructed trains, coupled with track improvements, would cut the travel time between New York City and Albany by 20 minutes. However, the project ran into many problems including issues with the trains and the unsuccessful implementation of required track improvements. New York ended the rehabilitation program in 2005 after spending $70.3 million. Fallout over the program led to litigation between New York and Amtrak; Amtrak would eventually pay New York $20 million and commit to funding $10 million in track improvements. New York auctioned off its surplus Turboliners in 2012 for $420,000.Ohio
The Ohio Hub, a rail improvement project proposed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, is aimed at revitalizing passenger rail service in the Ohio region. The proposal was to increase the top speeds to in the network connecting Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, commonly referred as the 3-C corridor. The project is currently in an unknown state after the U.S. government rescinded the federal funding from Ohio and redirected it to other states.Wisconsin
In October 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation adopted the Connections 2030 plan which is the long-range plan for state transportation needs. The plan includes Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030, the twenty-year plan to improve the state railroad system by 2030. In the rail plan, there is a multi-phase project to upgrade the rail service from Chicago, Illinois, to Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, with top speeds of. The latter phases of the project will expand the same service to Minneapolis–Saint Paul in Minnesota and another route to Green Bay, Wisconsin. There was a reaction against the project in 2010, and the $810 million grant the state originally received for the project from the federal government was rescinded. As of 2012, the rail plan is postponed indefinitely.Current efforts
Baltic states
The three Baltic states have been working with the European Union as part of the Trans-European Transport Networks initiative on a study to build a higher-speed rail line in the Rail Baltica corridor to connect Warsaw, in Poland, and Tallinn, in Estonia.Bangladesh
Bangladesh Government has taken initiatives to develop high-speed rail in between its two major cities - Dhaka, the National Capital City and Chattogram, the second largest and the principal Port City of the country. Bangladesh Railway, the Government-owned and-managed transportation agency of the country, signed a contract of BDT 102 crore on 31 May 2018 with a Consortium of China Railway Design Corporation, a Chinese Company and Mazumder Enterprise, a Bangladeshi Pvt. Ltd. Company for feasibility study and detailed design for construction of proposed Dhaka-Chattogram via Cumilla/Laksam HSR line.With 320.79 km length, Dhaka-Chattogram is the main business corridor and life line of BR, and at present, the railway route is a circuitous way through Tongi-Bhairab Bazar-Brahmanbaria-Cumilla-Chattogram. The proposed shorter route, which would be Dhaka-Cumilla/Laksham-Chattogram, will cut short the length by about 91 km, making the total length around 230 km. The expected speed of the proposed HSR would be above 250kmph and it would take less than one hour to reach Chattogram from Dhaka, which currently takes more than five hours. Under the 18-month contract, the Consortium's responsibilities will include identifying alternative alignments, assessing the viability of the project, preparing detailed engineering design, and cost estimation.
Canada
For a rail route to connect Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan in the United States, a higher-speed rail plan was proposed as an alternative after a study on the Windsor to Quebec City route in Canada was to consider only high-speed rail with top speeds of or more. Politicians in Windsor area proposed in 2012 that having higher-speed rail connection between Windsor and Detroit must be part of the consideration.Another feasibility study is ongoing as part of the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative to connect between Boston and Montreal trains at top speeds of.
Greece
A project to modernize railway network in Greece is ongoing. A new alignment between Tithorea and Domokos is designed to avoid the mountainous part. The new line will have speeds of.India
In October 2013, the Minister of Railways announced at the two-day international technical conference on High Speed Rail Travel; Low Cost Solution that the focus of India's rail improvement is to implement a lower cost solution to meet the immediate needs by providing higher-speed rail services as an incremental step before the dedicated track high-speed rail can be achieved. India's higher-speed rail will be in the range of. On 3 July 2014, a trail run with the new top speeds of was successfully completed on a journey of between Delhi and Agra. The new service, operational since 5 April 2016, cut the travel time from 126 minutes with a top speed of to 99 minutes.In 2019 the government approved 3 rapid regional railways including Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System with speeds up to 160 km/h.
Malaysia
The KTM ETS is an inter-city rail service operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad utilizing electric multiple units. The KTM ETS is the second electric train service to be operated by the Malaysian railway company, after the KTM Komuter service.Commencing in August 2010, the ETS is the fastest metre gauge train service in Malaysia and operates along the electrified and double-tracked stretch of the West Coast Line between and on the Malaysia-Thai border by the Malaysian national railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu.
The rail service is operated by KTM Intercity Division. It was previously operated by ETS Sendirian Berhad, a fully owned subsidiary of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad. The operation speed for this train is 140 km/h.
New Zealand
Pressure group Greater Auckland proposed the Regional Rapid Rail initiative in 2017, including tilt trains with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. This network would link Auckland with Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua. In December 2018, the Government of New Zealand committed funding to reintroducing a five-year trial rail service between Papakura in southern Auckland to Hamilton, starting in 2020.Panama
China claimed to invest capitals into 160 km/h rail corridor, total length would be 491 km.Philippines
The state-owned Philippine National Railways plans to rebuild its historic South Main Line from Manila to the Bicol Region in the southeastern tip of Luzon. The agency will build of track, with the main line itself leading to Matnog, Sorsogon and a spur line leading to Batangas City. It will be a standard-gauge railway served by Chinese-built diesel multiple units with a maximum speed of and an average speed of including stops. The project will start construction in mid-2020 and is set to open partially by 2022.Thailand
The Government of Thailand considers a plan to build out its high-speed rail corridors. As an alternative to the high-speed trains, the government also considers medium-speed trains with top speeds of.United States
This is a partial list of ongoing higher-speed rail projects from the East Coast to the West Coast.| Corridor / Segment | Length | Top speed | Avg speed | Current status | Note |
| Boston, MA – Springfield, MA – Montreal, QC, Canada | 408 | 90 | 55 | Feasibility study | A study of higher-speed rail options with top speeds of in 3 sections along the route. |
| New York City – Niagara Falls, NY | 463 | 125 | 85 | Tier 1 EIS | Fully electrified track, and straightened Hudson River route. See |
| Washington, DC – Richmond, VA | 115 | 90 | Tier 2 EIS | ||
| Richmond – Newport News, VA | 90 | Tier 1 EIS | |||
| Richmond – Norfolk, VA | 110 | Tier 1 EIS | |||
| Richmond, VA – Raleigh, NC | 160 | 110 | 87 | Tier 2 EIS | Top speeds from Richmond, VA, to south of Petersburg, VA, will be and changed to after that. |
| Raleigh – Charlotte, NC | 180 | 90 | Construction | ||
| Charlotte, NC – Atlanta, GA | 245 | 110 | Tier 1 EIS | A option is considered along with high-speed rail. | |
| Atlanta, GA – Macon, GA – Jacksonville, FL | 408 / 368 | 90-100 / 130 | 77 / 94 | Tier 1 EIS | See |
| Atlanta, GA – Chattanooga / Nashville, TN – Louisville, KY | 489 / 428 | 90-100 / 130 | 72 / 85 | Tier 1 EIS completed | See |
| Atlanta, GA – Birmingham, AL | 176 / 150 | 90-100 / 130 | 64 / 90 | Tier 1 EIS | See |
| Atlanta, GA – Columbus, GA | 116 | 79-110 | 60 | Feasibility Study | Higher-speed rail was one of the 3 alternatives in the feasibility study completed in 2014. Funding is not yet available to begin Tier 1 EIS phase. |
| Miami – Orlando, FL | 230 | 125 | 80 | Construction | Virgin Trains USA is a Florida-based company building a higher-speed rail line that opened service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on January 13, 2018, with an extension to Miami opening on May 19, 2018, with speeds up to. Service will eventually be extended to Orlando in 2022, with speeds up to, where it will be classified as a high-speed rail service. It is the first inter-city rail not handled by Amtrak in the contiguous U.S. since 1983 when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad discontinued its Rio Grande Zephyr. |
| Columbus, OH – Fort Wayne, Indiana – Chicago, IL | 300 | 110 | Feasibility Study | Initial operating speeds up to. Study funded by local governments and organizations, not by state governments. | |
| Ann Arbor, MI – Traverse City, MI | 250 | 90-110 | Feasibility Study | Three alternatives with 2 higher-speed rail alternatives at top speeds of and | |
| Chicago, IL – Milwaukee, WI | 86 | 90 | 59 | Environmental Assessment | The top speeds of is one of the alternatives under consideration. |
| Chicago, IL – Omaha, NE | 474-516 | 110 | Tier 1 EIS | ||
| Minneapolis – Duluth, MN | 152 | 90 | Environmental Assessment completed | Known as Northern Lights Express, received Finding Of No Significant Impact on Tier 2 Environmental Assessment in February 2018, and cleared to seek federal funding for design and construction. | |
| St. Louis, MO – Kansas City, MO | 283 | 90 | Construction | New sidings between Jefferson City and Lee's Summit for service | |
| Oklahoma City, OK – San Antonio, TX | 850 | 110 | Feasibility Study | See | |
| Dallas/Fort Worth – Houston, TX | 239 | 110 | Feasibility Study | See | |
| Phoenix - Tucson, AZ | 120 | 125 | 66 | Tier 1 EIS completed | Three alternatives finalized by Arizona Department of Transportation. The Yellow Corridor Alternative was selected as the preferred alternative at the completion of Tier 1 EIS. |
Proposed routes
In addition to ongoing projects, there are proposed routes that have not reached the feasibility study stage yet. In Pennsylvania, a rail advocacy group started fund raising efforts in 2014 to obtain $25,000 for a preliminary study and additional $100,000 for feasibility study of the route from Erie to Pittsburgh. The proposal is for express train services to directly link the two cities. An alternative is to have intermediate stops in Ohio cities including Ashtabula, Warren, and Youngstown before heading back to New Castle, Pennsylvania.In Ohio, a rail advocacy group works with local political leaders in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to consider a higher-speed rail line from Cincinnati to Chicago. This is in response to another advocacy group in Indiana that gained funding for the Columbus, Ohio – Fort Wayne – Chicago route that is already in feasibility study stage. The group persuaded the Hamilton County government in Ohio to advocate for the study. The county commissioners unanimously voted in September 2014 to pursue a feasibility study. As a possible route that goes through the states of Kentucky and Indiana, the county expects that Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments will help fund a feasibility study.
In Michigan, a feasibility study sponsored by an environmental group is in progress for a new rail line between Detroit and Grand Rapids. The proposal is to have trains running at speeds between. The state transportation department is interested in the study but is not ready to move beyond this study.
In Texas, the East Texas Corridor Council proposed a higher-speed rail route between Longview and Dallas. The trains will operate at speeds of and.