America Has Never Built an Airport Express Railway. Chicago Is About to Try. Nearly everyone agrees that there should be fast trains between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport. The sticking point has always been how to make it happen: where the line...
Newsletter 11/14/25: New Investments for High-Speed Rail in California?
New Investments for High-Speed Rail in California?
The head of the California High-Speed Rail Authority says the state’s $20 billion guarantee could secure the agency a first-ever partnership with private investors by mid-2026.
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2026 Could Be the Year Everything Changes for California High-Speed Rail
Private Partnership for High-Speed Rail in California? CEO Says It’s Coming Next Year (Fresno Bee)
We will share more about this story next week!
Illinois Commits Funding to Bring Trains to Quad Cities
The transit legislation that the Illinois General Assembly passed on Halloween calls for a one-time appropriation for “intercity passenger rail capital startup” of $300 million. Almost all of that will go toward establishing rail service between Chicago and Moline. The remainder will go to study and plan the embryonic Chicago-to-Peoria route.
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Train Advocates in Cascadia Dish on How They Notched a Big Win-and How You Can, Too
In April, a coalition of train advocates pushed the Washington state legislature to pass a law that mandates big increases in the speed, reliability, and frequency of Amtrak’s Cascades line by 2035. Three principles guided their work.
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Lessons Drawn from California High-Speed Rail
When: Friday, December 12 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Boris Lipkin, vice president of program development at STV
Boris Lipkin has a unique perspective to offer to those who want to see American high-speed rail built: he’s actually helped build it. Between 2018 and 2025, he served as the Northern California regional director at the California High-Speed Rail Authority, where he led the development of 160 miles of the system between San Francisco and Merced Counties.
In this discussion, Boris shares his personal insight into what makes such mega-infrastructure projects successful—and the challenges they can face.
Trump’s Penn Station Plan Could Saddle New York Commuters With New Fees
High-Speed Rail Gets Green Light for Sydney to Newcastle Link
Egypt’s First High-Speed Rail Train Revealed (Newsweek)
Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds
What Japan Taught Me About American Trains
SEPTA CEO Calls Pennsylvania State Budget ‘Disappointing After Transit Funding Left Out
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