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!

An Ariel view of the California high speed line "flying over" the BNSF.
The new station in Moline, IL.

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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A Cascades transit is getting ready to leave the factory.
A man in a construction vest and hard helmet stands before a viaduct under construction

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. 

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Our Take on CNN’s Recent HSR Piece

Our Take on CNN’s Recent HSR Piece

CNN recently published a piece about high-speed rail that focuses on three routes: Chicago to New York, San Francisco to Los Angeles, and Atlanta to Orlando. It notes that air travel is a mess and that high-speed trains “would offer Americans an attractive...

Why I Joined the Alliance’s Team

Why I Joined the Alliance’s Team

It's my first Giving Tuesday with the High Speed Rail Alliance, and I'm asking for your help to build a fast, frequent rail network in the U.S. Make your early Giving Tuesday gift today I joined the HSRA team in September 2025, and it’s been amazing to connect with so...

Why Rick Fights for Great Trains

Why Rick Fights for Great Trains

Join me in fighting for vibrant, healthy communities Two recent trips to Elyria, OH reminded me of why I’m in the fight for great trains. Elyria is so typical of so many American cities. A great public square, many of the great, human scale buildings still intact,...