President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes $80 billion for passenger rail but never mentions the term “high speed rail.” But don’t be fooled. The plan, if enacted would be the biggest investment in intercity rail in U.S. history, and the largest share of those dollars will go to fund high speed rail.
While the details remain scarce, here is where most of the money for high speed rail will come from.
First, $39 billion is proposed for Northeast Corridor modernization. Most funding that goes to the Northeast Corridor will significantly improve times for the Acela’s new lighter and faster train-sets.
How much time? The new trains can reach a top speed of 160 miles per hour (vs. 150 MPH for today’s trains) and can take curves at 30% higher speeds (due to higher tilting capability). However, without better rail infrastructure, these rail thoroughbreds will be racing in mud. Fortunately, the $39 billion proposed by the Biden administration is enough to upgrade key parts of the corridor (such as the B&P tunnel in Baltimore, built in 1873) and get the rest of the line in good condition. Together this would shorten the trip from Washington to NYC to 2 hours and 10 minutes and cut NYC to Boston by 45 minutes — making the Acela a true high speed train.
But the Biden plan doesn’t stop there. The president’s budget is also proposing $20 billion for intercity rail passenger rail, most of which will likely be invested in new high speed rail corridors in places like Texas, Florida and California.
While $20 billion is almost three times more than the Obama administration got for high speed rail, it still is only a fraction of what is needed. Congressman Seth Moulton, a former managing director with the Texas Central Railway, is the chief sponsor of legislation that would invest $205 billion in high speed rail, including one that would connect Houston to Dallas. While it is unclear if Congress is willing to fund that amount, the Biden administration should adopt three core strategies from the Moulton plan.