A private rail venture in Delaware has proposed a high-speed rail project that would stretch from one side of the U.S. to the other.
AmeriStarRail, a startup specializing in high-speed and intermodal passenger rail, pitched a partnership with Amtrak to launch the “Transcontinental Chief,” a high-speed rail route that would run between Los Angeles and New York in under 72 hours.
The Context
Work on high-speed rail projects across the U.S. remains stagnant. Only a few networks are underway, and they face increasing local and federal opposition. The largest high-speed rail project being worked on is in California, where 500 miles of track are planned to connect San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego.
What To Know
In an open letter to Roger Harris, the president of Amtrak, AmeriStarRail proposed a joint venture with the goal of making Amtrak generate a profit.
“The Transcontinental Chief will be a great opportunity for Amtrak to team up with the private sector to confront the challenges of its money-losing long-distance trains and create opportunities to usher in a profitable Golden Age of rail travel for passengers and truckers, with the ingenuity of free enterprise, as we celebrate our great nation’s 250th birthday next year,” Scott Spencer, AmeriStarRail’s chief operating officer, wrote in the letter…