Amtrak News/Updates

[CaptDave]

^^

That is a huge part of not doing it "on the cheap". In order for HSR to take the place of, or provide another alternative to, mid-range flights of 500 miles or less, entirely new rights of way are needed to straighten out the connections from population centers. The Texas HSR project is encountering all kinds of opposition even in rural areas where the plan is to elevate the tracks over agricultural areas to maintain access to areas divided by the line.

[UrbanistPoke]

^^

That is a huge part of not doing it "on the cheap". In order for HSR to take the place of, or provide another alternative to, mid-range flights of 500 miles or less, entirely new rights of way are needed to straighten out the connections from population centers. The Texas HSR project is encountering all kinds of opposition even in rural areas where the plan is to elevate the tracks over agricultural areas to maintain access to areas divided by the line.

This is why HSR needs to be coupled with freight rail expansion. Many of the national freight lines are over capacity especially when being forced into major hubs like Chicago. Freight companies can do pretty much anything they want and this would allow for cheaper, faster, and easier right of way acquisition. Then double or triple track and electrify the lines to share between high speed passenger service and freight.

The only way to get around doing things 'cheap' is to get the airline lobby to back off and get the federal government to fund rail investment. That's where partnering with freight rail would be invaluable because they have a very effective lobby group and could go toe to toe with regional airlines for DOT funds.

Brightline is the future of passenger rail. They have adopted the Japanese investment model somewhat. Japan Rail (JR) makes most of their profit off real estate. Mixed-use development on top, inside, and around stations is where the $$$ is at and is the purpose of infrastructure in the first place. Brightline build several high-rises above the Miami station and made a ton of money off of that which helped go towards expanding services. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a similar model in mind for Vegas. This could be replicated everywhere in the US.