{"id":3167,"date":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/owspakistan.com\/?p=3167"},"modified":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","slug":"index-html-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/owspakistan.com\/?p=3167","title":{"rendered":"The US still waits for its high-speed rail revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n <\/span>CNN<\/span>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>
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\n High speed trains have proved their worth across the world over the past 50 years.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s not just in reducing journey times, but more importantly, it\u2019s in driving economic growth, creating jobs and bringing communities closer together. China, Japan and Europe lead the way.\n <\/p>\n

\n So why doesn\u2019t the United States have a high-speed rail network like those?\n <\/p>\n

\n For the richest and most economically successful nation on the planet, with an increasingly urbanized population of more than 300 million, it\u2019s a position that is becoming more difficult to justify.\n <\/p>\n

\n Although Japan started the trend with its Shinkansen \u201cBullet Trains\u201d in 1964<\/a>, it was the advent of France\u2019s TGV in the early 1980s that really kick-started a global high-speed train revolution that continues to gather pace.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Passengers<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n But it\u2019s a revolution that has so far bypassed the United States. Americans are still almost entirely reliant on congested highways or the headache-inducing stress of an airport and airline network prone to meltdowns.\n <\/p>\n

\n China has built around 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers) of dedicated high-speed railways since 2008 and plans to top 43,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) by 2035.\n <\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, the United States has just 375 route-miles of track cleared for operation at more than 100 mph<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n