History: Rail Transportation In The United States

• U.S. high-speed rail
High-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service. Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. Unlike Asian or European systems, the Acela shares its tracks with conventional rail, and thus is limited to an average speed of 84 mph (135 km/h) for the entire distance with brief segments up to 150 mph (240 km/h). In comparison, high-speed trains between Tokyo and Kyoto run an average speed of 137 mph (220 km/h). In 2012, Amtrak outlined plans to increase top speeds to 220 mph (354 km/h) by reducing train congestion in the Northeast Corridor in coming decades, cutting trips between New York City and Washington, D.C. to 94 minutes.
A federal allocation of $8 billion for high-speed rail projects as a part of the 2009 stimulus package has prompted U.S. federal and state planners to coordinate the expansion of high-speed service to ten other major rail corridors, some of whom have cancelled.
America's first dedicated high-speed rail infrastructure is likely to be in California, consisting of a high speed line between Anaheim and San Francisco via Los Angeles and San Jose. The line is scheduled to begin construction by September 2012 in the Central Valley. The new line planned for construction in California would have a top speed in excess of 150 mph (240 km/h) and is classified as a High-Speed Rail–Express corridor.