Once an afterthought, U.S. rail travel is now experiencing unprecedented growth, with passenger volumes reaching new highs for the past two years. As fuel and gas prices remain elevated beyond pre-conflict levels, more travelers are turning to rail services to avoid the costs of air and road journeys during the summer peak season.
Yet those unfamiliar with the nation’s rail network may find themselves disappointed. Many urban centers lack robust rail links, and the high-speed options commonplace in European and East Asian nations remain absent.
Despite this, the U.S. actually operates more rail tracks globally than any other country. So where lies the disconnect?
Freight versus passenger trains
The mid-to-late 19th century marked a golden age for U.S. rail travel. Thousands of miles of track connected coasts, linking people and goods. However, this era faded as federal priorities shifted toward highways and airports, making cars and planes more efficient.
Unlike many European nations, which have long treated passenger trains as essential public infrastructure, the U.S. has long favored more profitable freight operations. Today, much of the nation’s rail infrastructure remains optimized for heavy cargo transport rather than high-speed passenger travel.
Amtrak’s most frequented route, the Northeast Corridor, links Boston to Washington, D.C., taking about seven hours for 457 miles. Comparatively, trains cover Italy’s longer Naples-to-Milan route in under five hours.
Allan Zarembski, director of the University of Delaware’s railroad engineering and safety program, highlights infrastructure challenges: “Straightening the tracks demands significant land acquisition, which is often unaffordable in densely populated areas,” he explains, noting the logistical and financial hurdles of reconfiguring existing systems. The tracks’ curves, dictated by historical geography, would require costly engineering solutions to support high-speed travel.
The ‘train to nowhere’
California’s proposed high-speed rail project, initiated in 2008 to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, aimed to reduce travel time to under three hours. Initially slated for completion by 2020, the project has faced cost overruns and delays, leading critics to label it a ‘train to nowhere.’ Budget estimates had surged from $9.95 billion to over $100 billion, with political pressures and community resistance contributing to setbacks. A segment is planned for the early 2030s, with the full line targeting completion by 2038.
Project leaders likely underestimated initial costs for political reasons, Zarembski argues. “They knew they would never get the highball price through the legislative process,” he says. Community opposition and land acquisition challenges have further complicated progress, though a partial section is now under construction with planned completion in the early 2030s.
The benefits of good train connections
High-speed rail offers environmental advantages, with electric trains producing 72% fewer emissions than planes and 83% less than cars, according to Amtrak. However, nationwide modernization demands massive investment—$100 billion and over 15 years for Northeast Corridor upgrades alone, including signal modernization, tunnel reconstruction, and fleet replacement.
Transportation expert Alon Levy proposes a leaner approach, estimating $17 billion in additional funding could modernize the Northeast Corridor using proven European and Asian rail technologies. He argues that the U.S. often hesitates to adopt international innovations: “It’s an American mindset where if you’re not the first at something, it’s difficult to learn how to be second or third. If something is invented in Japan, it can reach Europe. But it’s very difficult to make it to America, even when we know we’re behind.”
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