California is vowing to fight the Trump administration’s decision to cancel $4 billion in funding for its high-speed line from Los Angeles to San Francisco. “Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won’t let him,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said...
Newsletter 6/27/25: Critical High-Speed Rail Segment in California Moves Forward
Engineering Firm Chosen to Design Critical High-Speed Rail Segment in California
HDR has been awarded a five-year contract to deliver engineering and design services for a 54-mile segment between Palmdale and Victorville. This is a critical connection between Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail. The new rail service is expected to operate at speeds of up to 180 mph and link Antelope Valley’s multimodal transportation hub with the planned Brightline West station in San Bernardino County.
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HDR to Deliver Engineering and Design Services for California High-Speed Rail
Here’s How Brightline West Could Connect with California High-Speed Rail
Columbus, Indiana Needs Regional Rail
Columbus, Indiana is located 50 miles south of Indianapolis and has only 50,000 residents. Yet seven of its buildings are designated as National Historic Landmarks. That puts it in the same league as cities like Chicago and San Francisco for the quality and significance of its architecture, unlikely as that may seem. Columbus also produced Chuck Taylor, a basketball player from the early 1900s whose name is inextricably linked to the Converse gym shoe.
Columbus currently has no train service. But it should. And it could. The city sits right in the middle of the Louisville-Indianapolis rail corridor, one of 69 passenger-rail routes accepted into the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor ID and Development Program.
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Eight Principles for Establishing a U.S. Passenger Rail System
If the United States is to have a modern passenger-rail system, advocates will have to agree on a program of ideas and efforts likely to lead to its successful establishment. A historical review of the nation’s successful highway and civil-aviation programs can provide clues to which principles are likely to work.
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How Railways Will Fix the Future
When: Friday July 11 at 11am Central on Zoom
Speaker: Gareth Dennis, engineer and author of How the Railways Will Fix the Future
Engineer and writer Gareth Dennis will join us from the UK to discuss his new book How the Railways Will Fix the Future. In it, he looks at the history of railways (including the role they have played in extraction and exploitation) but focuses on their power to tackle issues facing us today and to shape a better future. Topics for discussion include lessons to learn from global railway operations on what works best long-term, and what this might mean in the United States.
How New York Can Implement Through-Running at Penn Station in the First Half of the 21st Century
When: Friday, July 25 at 11am Central / 12pm Eastern on Zoom
Speakers: Karim Ahmed, Senior Technical Advisor to ReThinkNYC; Dr. Robert Paaswell, Director Emeritus of the University Transportation Research Center at the City College of New York; and Samuel Turvey, Chairperson of ReThinkNYC
Implementing through-running trains via Penn Station represents a once-in-a-century opportunity to transform connectivity in the New York region, just as the subway did. It will benefit the region’s economy, environment, and quality of life. ReThinkNYC has put forward a detailed plan to do it cost effectively by mid-century. You can learn more in this talk.
Accelerating the Permitting Process for High Speed Rail Projects
When: Friday, August 15 at 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern on Zoom
Speaker: Terry Hynes, Senior Counsel, Sidley
Environmental review and permitting of high-speed rail projects can take many years or even more than a decade. This increases the cost of projects, discourages private investment, and makes the public wait to enjoy the benefits of high-speed trains. In this talk, you can learn about a proposal to designate the Surface Transportation Board as the lead agency for all high-speed rail projects, to accelerate review and permitting.
Stadler and OBB Present New Double-Deck Train for Long-Distance Transport
A High-Speed Future (Interview with HSRA’s Rick Harnish)
High-Speed Rail Study Will Highlight Economic Impact for Fort Worth, Arlington
Why Japan’s Rail Network Is One of the Best in the World
China Makes Another High-Speed Rail Breakthrough
Italy’s Ferrovie to Seek Investors for High-Speed Rail Network
Texas High-Speed Rail Project Future Uncertain After Latest Setback
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