Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail

[HellBoy]

And that is why they can't even run the trains at top speed through the bottom half of the line. I mean, either you're gonna build high speed rail or you're not. The line on the west coast, which I'm not sure ever fully gets built at this point, will not have any street crossings. But they also made a mistake in running the line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga instead of directly to LA. Private companies are going to be cost effective in the US. That usually comes at the expense of things that are standard with high speed rail in other countries.

Actual high speed for example. Real high speed rail systems are just never going to be built here because lobbying money is power. That's why Union Pacific, 2 of the largest freight rail companies in the country, are about to merge. They donated a freakish amount of money to Trump to push the deal through. After it's finalized, Norfolk Southern will cease to exist and Union Pacific will own over half of the rails from coast to coast. The very rails that Amtrak has to use outside of the Northeast Corridor.

Any type of modern mass transit will require a city planning project outside the metro. Building along side current infrastructure is not tenable. I agree, lobbyist will make sure the funds will never be available to get any major projects done. I was hoping that Brightline would be a model for investment and expansion, but they can only raise so much money via bonds. I'm still pissed that Brightline's Vegas project is still waiting on $6 billion in federal funding.

 

[blackbull1970]

AmTrak Cascades Is First In The U.S. To See New And Improved Passenger Trains

The Eugene to Vancouver route will be the first in the nation to see a new edition of Amtrak Cascades' passenger train on the rails.

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[blackbull1970]

Why Union Pacific Scapped Brand New Locomotives Straight From The Factory
May 29, 2026

Union Pacific didn't just retire aging steam locomotives — it scrapped brand new ones, delivered from manufacturers with fewer than a handful of operational miles, before they ever entered regular service.

The phenomenon occurred at the precise intersection of two forces arriving simultaneously: locomotive manufacturers fulfilling wartime and postwar production contracts on schedules that couldn't be cancelled, and railroad management that had already committed to diesel conversion before the steam orders were complete.

Locomotives arrived at UP receiving facilities, were inspected, assigned road numbers, and sent directly to the scrapper without turning a revenue wheel. The economics that made steam impossible to defend financially worked fast enough that new equipment became surplus before it became operational.

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[blackbull1970]

First Class Across America By Train
Seattle to New York
June 21, 2026

This is 4 Days across America with Amtrak. From Seattle to New York. Is it worth it?

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[blackbull1970]

Colorado Connector

Colorado Connector | Fort Collins to Pueblo

Colorado Connector (CoCo) is an express intercity passenger train built for the Front Range. Powered by the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, it will link 12 communities with fast, comfortable, relaxing service and it starts with tracks that already exist.

coloradoconnector.com

Colorado Connector (CoCo) is an express intercity passenger train built for the Front Range. Powered by the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, it will link 12 communities with fast, comfortable, relaxing service and it starts with tracks that already exist.

 

[HellBoy]

Colorado Connector

Colorado Connector | Fort Collins to Pueblo

Colorado Connector (CoCo) is an express intercity passenger train built for the Front Range. Powered by the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, it will link 12 communities with fast, comfortable, relaxing service and it starts with tracks that already exist.

coloradoconnector.com

Colorado Connector (CoCo) is an express intercity passenger train built for the Front Range. Powered by the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, it will link 12 communities with fast, comfortable, relaxing service and it starts with tracks that already exist.

It'll help some. I see its scheduled to start running in 2029 with a max speed of 79 mph.

 

[blackbull1970]

Watch the whole video.

There are multiple cameras on the train giving multiple points of view of impact.

If this country gonna do High Speed Rail, there better be a ‘Dead Man’ switch on those controls.


Driver Allegedly Falls Asleep Behind Controls Before Dramatic Crash
August 25, 2026

A San Francisco train operator was removed from driving duties after allegedly falling asleep before a collision involving two L Taraval trains on July 31.

The crash occurred at 47th Avenue and Wawona Street at around 8:30 a.m., with footage appearing to show the operator dozing off before the trains collided.

Two commuters were aboard one train but were not injured.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said its initial assessment pointed to operator fatigue as the cause, while an investigation continues.

 

[blackbull1970]

AmTrak’s Abandoned Acela Trains
August 21, 2026

Amtrak continues the retirement process of the legacy Acela Express trainsets.

Twenty of these trainsets were constructed over 25 years ago, and now less than seven of them remain in service.

With the continuing acceptance and delivery of the new Acela Next Generation "Avelia Liberty" trains, the official end of the legacy Acela Express equipment is soon coming to a close.

Amtrak has been storing the retired sets at facilities in Bear and Willmington, Delaware, as well as the Chrysler Yard, in Newark, DE.

As of this video from mid-August 2026, six of the legacy Acela sets are at this yard, awaiting their final fate.

In this video, we'll take a close up look at the abandoned sets, as well as see some of the usual Northeast Corridor rail traffic passing by.

 

[code_pirahna]

The fact that high speed rail is not in this country is directly because of red tape and bureaucracy

 

[treyparker1971]

Only in rail. The US is more advanced in almost everything else.

Compared to who? Japan and China are light years ahead. The USA of going backwards like Russia

 

[blackbull1970]

The fact that high speed rail is not in this country is directly because of red tape and bureaucracy

To add to that…

The GOP is against it cuz the trains would connect to rural areas allowing people there to quickly leave their area and experience the real world.

The GOP has successfully convinced rural areas that going outside their areas is dangerous, especially going into inner cities that are over ridden with roving gangs and are in complete carnage.

Trump was pushing that narrative back during his 2015/2016 campaign run.

 

[code_pirahna]

To add to that…

The GOP is against it cuz the trains would connect to rural areas allowing people there to quickly leave their area and experience the real world.

The GOP has successfully convinced rural areas that going outside their areas is dangerous, especially going into inner cities that are over ridden with roving gangs and are in complete carnage.

Trump was pushing that narrative back during his 2015/2016 campaign run.

The Village - M. Night Shyamalan

 

[gman4gov]

Trump and Republicans keep pushing the idea that government should spend less on public transportation while prioritizing highways, cars, and short-term political bullshit. They’ve fought transit funding, questioned rail investments, and acted like spending money on trains is some kind of communist plot. Meanwhile, Latin America is starting to expand modern rail and Americans are stuck in traffic for hours.

 

[blackbull1970]

We Slept In Every Room On Amtrak’s Longest Train
Greener Grass
September 12, 2026

Watch this video to see what it’s like when we slept in EVERY room on Amtrak's longest train!

We traveled by train across the USA on Amtrak in EVERY Amtrak Room. In this video, we’ll compare all of Amtrak’s three rooms in one trip in order to help you decide which room you should book!

But let’s be clear: Things do NOT go according to plan!

We’ll (attempt to) travel from Chicago to Los Angeles onboard the ICONIC Texas Eagle spending one night in an Amtrak Roomette, another in an Amtrak Bedroom, and the third in an Amtrak Family Bedroom!

We’ll share exactly what you can expect from each room type and the one thing everyone onboard gets to enjoy: The Unbelievable Views!

Amtrak’s Texas Eagle is such an amazing experience, I’ve done it twice now. But this time was even better since Suzanne joined me!

We’ll show you room service while we’re in the Amtrak Roomette, Amtrak’s Flexible Dining in the Amtrak Bedroom and, of course, Amtrak’s amazing Traditional Dining in the Dining Car while we’re in the Amtrak Family Bedroom!

We’ll even get “scientific” by measuring the space you get in each category. That's the beds in the Amtrak Roomette, Amtrak Bedroom, and the Amtrak Family Bedroom!

But, best of all, we’ll rate every room using a scorecard featuring Daytime Comfort, Storage Space, Sleep Quality, Bathroom Situation, and - of course - the price! All to help you decide which room you should book for your next Amtrak Adventure!

 

[Maweriman]

One reason that the US does NOT have hi-speed rail is misplaced spending priorities. The Pentagon warmongers and the defense contractors have the politicians who control the $$ & run the country firmly under their control.

Tens of $trillions$ spent on overseas wars since WW2 -- Vietnam -- Iraq -- A-Stan -- Panama -- Grenada -- Kosovo --Somalia etc & now Iran with absolutely NOTHING/ZILCH to show for it but a 1000s of dead & broken GIs who have to be cared for the rest of their lives.

How many miles of hi-speed rail could the US have been built with $50-100 trillion spent on foreign wars?

Many countries that have hi-speed rail -- China -- Japan -- France etc have NOT prioritized spending/wasting $trillions$ on overseas wars killing Third World people.

Next question?

 

[blackbull1970]

The Real Reason America Destroyed Its Passenger Rail System Overnight
May 16, 2026

America didn't accidentally lose its passenger rail system — it dismantled it through a specific sequence of policy decisions, corporate interests, and public investment choices that redirected the country's transportation infrastructure toward highways and aviation while starving the railroads of the capital they needed to compete.

The federal interstate highway system, funded at $25 billion starting in 1956, built the road network that made automobile travel the default American experience.

The Civil Aeronautics Board subsidized commercial aviation into competitiveness.

Railroads, meanwhile, were regulated as public utilities with rate controls that prevented them from charging what passenger service actually cost.

By the time Amtrak was created in 1971 to absorb what remained, the passenger railroad had already been structurally destroyed.

 

[HellBoy]

 

[blackbull1970]

World’s Largest High-Speed Rail Network Unveils Major New Milestone​

China’s record-breaking high-speed rail network has unveiled several major new railway lines across four provinces on Monday.

By Soo Kim
September 29, 2026

World’s largest high-speed rail network unveils major new milestone

China's high-speed rail network operational mileage surpasses the combined total of all other countries worldwide.

www.newsweek.com

A high-speed train runs on elevated tracks in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province, in January 2026.

This aerial photo shows high-speed trains at Nanjing South High-Speed Train Depot, in China's eastern Jiangsu province in June 2026.

Workers clean a high-speed train at the Xuzhou East high-speed train depot in Xuzhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu province in February 2026.

 

[blackbull1970]

96 Hours Across USA By Rail: LA To NYC On First Class Sleeper Trains
September 3, 2026

Today, we’ll ride First Class sleeper trains for 96 hours across the USA, from Los Angeles, all the way to New York.

We’ll be on Amtrak's Coast Starlight, California Zephyr, and Cardinal trains — 4,053 miles through Pacific coastlines, Nevada desert, golden fall colors in the Rockies, and finally rolling into the city skyline of Manhattan.

 

[Da Backshot Champ]

96 Hours Across USA By Rail: LA To NYC On First Class Sleeper Trains
September 3, 2026

Today, we’ll ride First Class sleeper trains for 96 hours across the USA, from Los Angeles, all the way to New York.

We’ll be on Amtrak's Coast Starlight, California Zephyr, and Cardinal trains — 4,053 miles through Pacific coastlines, Nevada desert, golden fall colors in the Rockies, and finally rolling into the city skyline of Manhattan.

Does anybody know if they are fucking like that on the trains? Like doing that pineapple on the curtain shit? I know the last cruise I went on it was damn near an open air orgy every night like Caligula, well without the faggot shit.

 

[D24OHA]

U.S. vs. Iran Metro Comparasion 2026
April 10, 2026

A side-by-side look at metro systems in Iran and the United States.

Footage from Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Isfahan highlights modern stations, intricate Persian-Islamic architecture, and heavily used transit networks carrying millions daily. In contrast, clips from systems like the New York City Subway show scenes that are often cited in public discussions around cleanliness, safety, and maintenance challenges.

The comparison gained attention online after remarks by Marco Rubio during an appearance on Good Morning America on March 31, 2026, where he argued that Iran’s leadership spends heavily on weapons instead of investing in its people.

In response, social media users began sharing videos of Iran’s infrastructure—including its metro systems—offering a different perspective and fueling global debate.

This video presents both sides visually, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Bruh, the fact that stations from the late 70s/80's still look relatively the same.

Like that shit from the Warriors...... when I went to NYC in 2010...... it looked damn near the same, minus the new tech for the entrances, cameras and machines to buy cards.

Shit is dirty, it stinks and they just look old....... which they are.

 

[blackbull1970]

Why doesn’t high speed rail work in America?​

By Chris Isidore
October 4, 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/04/business/high-speed-rail-america

American railroads were once the envy of the world and the engine of its industrial age. But that hasn’t been the case for more than half a century.

Brightline, founded in 2012, wanted to change all that. The Florida private rail company ran yellow trains at near high speed between Miami and Orlando. It has big plans to launch another line with true high speed 200 mph trains making the 200-mile trip between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California, just outside of Los Angeles.

Then it filed for bankruptcy last month after not making enough money to cover its debts. But the railroad is still operating its Florida service and moving ahead with plans for the true high speed trains between Las Vegas and Southern California...

 

[GAMETHEORY]

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