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...
Newsletter 8/29/25: NextGen Acela Trains Begin Operations and Canada High-Speed Rail Moves Forward
NextGen Acela Trains, With Top Speeds of 160 mph, Begin Running in Northeast Corridor
Amtrak launched the modern era of Acela this week, introducing five new trains in the 450-mile Northeast Corridor, which stretches from Washington, D.C. to Boston. Another 23 new trainsets, operating at top speeds of 160 mph, will begin running by 2027.
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Alto, Canada’s High Speed Rail Project, Holds First Public Meeting
All systems go for new high-speed line connecting Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto—and someday Chicago?
A high-speed rail project that will link Toronto with Quebec City—known as Alto—is moving forward. At the organization’s annual meeting on Thursday, CEO Martin Imbleau promised that “by connecting more than 15 million people with faster, more reliable, and more sustainable travel, Alto will open the door to a new era of mobility in Canada.”
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Trump Administration Rescinds $175 Million in Grants for California High-Speed Rail
This week the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was withdrawing $175 million of grant funding designated for grade separation, rail crossings, and design work for a high-speed rail station in Madera. This follows the June decision to rescind a $4 billion grant for California’s high-speed rail project, which is being challenged in court by the state of California.
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Trump Administration Pulls Another $175m From California’s High-Speed Rail (The Guardian)
Ensuring Robust Intercity Passenger Rail in the Pacific North West: Amtrak Cascades as a Case Study
When: Friday, September 12 at 1pm CT
Speakers: Arvia Morris, Brandon Bowersox-Johnson, Tim Gould
Amtrak Cascades Intercity Passenger Rail is part of the Federal Corridor Identification & Development Program, with potential for vastly improved service linking Vancouver BC, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon. In this talk, you can hear from local passenger rail advocates about the Cascades service and their campaign to accelerate the work to increase frequency, reliability and faster trip times.
All Aboard Ohio’s Rail Advocacy Strategy
When: Friday, September 26 at 11am CT
Speaker: Mitch Radakovich, Board chair, All Aboard Ohio
All Aboard Ohio has grown, leading an ambitious effort in 2025. With statewide chapters and engaging events, the group has enlisted passenger rail advocates in a push to fund expanded passenger rail service within Ohio and to neighboring states, as well as for reentry to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. In this talk, you can learn where things stand today, and about All Aboard Ohio’s strategy to take passenger-rail advocacy to a new level.
Luncheon – Averting the Fiscal Cliff: The Road to Regional & High-Speed Rail
When: Friday, October 10, 11am to 3pm CT
Where: The Collective, 120 S. Riverside Plz, Chicago, IL 60606
From the urgent fiscal crisis threatening Chicago-area transit, to the future of Metra and high-speed rail in the Midwest, you will hear directly from leaders addressing today’s most pressing transportation challenges.
The New Acela Liberty: America’s Next Chapter in Rail (A Review)
The Federal Government is Taking Over D.C.’s Union Station. What Does That Mean?
California High-Speed Rail Update Sets Out Path to 2039 Connections
Californians Continue to Love High-Speed Rail, Even if Republicans in Washington D.C. Don’t
Lexington Moving Forward With Modeling Study for Passenger Rail Station
How Hurricane Katrina Killed Amtrak’s Transcontinental Train
Amtrak Advances Three NEC Rail Yard Modernization Projects (Railway Age)
Commission Proposed to Explore Passenger Rail Line Between Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha
The Outlook for Chicago’s Intercity Rail Traffic Through 2030 (PDF)
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