The $140BN Race to Build America's First High-Speed Railway

This new plan for a US bullet train might actually work.
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Note: USD $140BN referenced in the title of this video represents the total amount of money that is being invested across all high speed railway projects across the US at the time of publication.
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Additional footage and images courtesy of Brightline/Brightline West, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Amtrak, 8 News Now, Erik Wilhelm, Lionsgate, Scott Portier, Texas Central and The Roaming Railfan and Train Guru.
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[@TheB1M]

Head to brilliant.org/TheB1M/ for a 30-day free trial and the first 200 people will receive 20% off their annual subscription 🙌

[@Taymi-r9e]

Random but I find it hilarious that Fred is the opposite of the stereotypical skyscraper geek. Keep being jacked Fred, we love you that way

[@farzanazahir1332]

Where is this place in 12:31

[@Taymi-r9e]

@@farzanazahir1332 looks like maybe Nevada?

[@primeroultimo]

Prety sure nobody gives a scratch about trains the us is all about cars 0to60 no one cares how fast a train can go. And the people pushing trains can stop pretending countries with trains have no traffic congestion. They just want a project to wast money on 🎉

[@Fear_God_and_Give_Him_Glory]

The U.S does not have High Speed rail, because it would interfere with the Evil Agenda of so-called "15 minute Cities". Please do a documentary on that.

[@heyjakeay]

I reckon watching a 180mph train pass you while you're stuck in traffic on I-15 might be the biggest motivator for someone to try using it

[@PaulMathews-p4o]

I agree, should convince people to at least try it the next holiday :)

[@scottie89901]

Getting to the "LA Area" terminal in Rancho Cucamonga without a car will be slower than sitting in traffic through Cajon Pass for most households in the region. The high speeds of Brightline will be evened out by the low speeds of local transit., This video heavily underemphasizes the impact this will have, glossing over with "Metrolink to downtown in an hour". Fewer than 100k people live in downtown LA, and regional transit falls short for most of the rest. American cities are so spread out, with underfunded regional transit, that a fast train to one station in each city is fighting only half the battle. Brightline West will probably be successful, but not as the default choice over driving.

[@strawberriesandcum]

It will be very funny for the people in the trains, and sad for the people traveling by car lol

[@GTAVictor9128]

Was about to comment that.

[@IVWOR]

100%

[@Avg-Usr]

The key commonality between the two Brightline projects can be summed up in one word: tourists. Brightline in Florida works because tourists can skip going back to MIA to catch a flight if you want to hit both Disney and Miami, and south Florida residents can go to the e theme parks without their cars. Linking LA and LV is also a no brainer if you think tourism instead of commuting.

[@lukasdolezal8245]

yeah that is how most intercity trains work in Europe too, it's mostly tourism. Especially long distance trains. Commuter trains are different, usually not high speed, but for the distances around major centers.

[@InsaneBuizel]

Us south Florida Residents have relied on either I-95 or Florida's Turnpike just to visit Orlando. The challenge here that Brightline needs to beat is having faster routes to the parks than a family could in their car on the turnpike, especially considering that it's "higher" speed rail which is one tier down from "high" speed rail.

[@ScottyShaw]

@@InsaneBuizel Ironic that "higher" speed rail is slower than "high" speed rail 🤔 Brightline sounds great though. I hope their example will continue to improve and become even more successful across the country.

[@Hurricane2k8]

@@lukasdolezal8245 I think you seriously underestimate how many people are using long distance trains for business travel.

[@user-gd7dc3om2l]

Keep finding excuses! Locals want to get around and have options. I was in a car accident, and I don't want to have a car anymore, maybe later in life when I will have a family, but now I found myself that I have very limited options to get around. I went to a few developed and developing countries, and even small cities in developing countries where are almost no tourists, they have there similar and in some cases better trains and public transportation than New York City and Boston which are two cities with the best public transportation system in the USA. Whether you use or don't use trains and other public transportation, you are paying for it in one form or another anyway, and you're paying for this more than people in France, the UK, and people in most or all other developed countries while getting the worst service. And, to be fair, oil and car industries are subsidized by taxpayers too. I understand that not everyone wants to use public transportation even if it's the best in the world, but also not everyone wants to drive a car everywhere.

[@JakeHillion]

Building in the highway median is a genius move for advertising - think of all the people stuck in traffic watching a 186mph train blast past!

[@dynasty0019]

@@vedants.vispute77 The I-15 has virtually no major curves through the Mojave Desert. The only challenging part of this project will be the Cajon Pass.

[@traceswann7054]

Hopefully it reduces congestion so that I can try and race the train

[@nevreiha]

haha, I've never considered it like that before

[@lukazupie7220]

No need to be stuck, even if you are doing 80mph and train is doing 180 u will feel a bit stoopid😁

[@doujinflip]

Big problem with CAHSR was that Valley politicians wanted their much smaller cities to be part of the main line, causing a detour through farmers' fields that need to be bought out instead of taking advantage of all the open space along existing I-5.

[@marcussterling4954]

Took Amtrak from St Louis to Chicago, took 6 hours, about 90 minutes longer than driving, but the Mrs and I went up for a long weekend and only stayed around the lakefront, taking in all the museums and shops…..was great!!! NO parking fees and worries of getting into traffic jams.

[@stratagama]

how long ago was this? I did Chicago to carbondale in 4 hours on the regular back when I was going to school at SIU and the lincoln service now has even higher speeds.

[@midwestrails8317]

St. Louis to Chicago now takes just over 4 hours now with top speeds of 110 MpH.

[@TroyQwert]

Yea, and how could such a technology advanced (at least in their dreams) nation was not to figure out the advantages of bullet train at the right time? No 2 hour preflight arrival, no boarding procedures, no 2 hours drive/bus/taxi from airport to the destination. And the last, but not the least - speed.

[@aimxdy8680]

@@midwestrails8317I have driven from stl to chicago in 3 hours and 40 minutes from just cruising at 80-85 mph. 110 mph is too slow on Amtrak with all these track limits, it’s slower than a car cruising at 85.

[@JS-jh4cy]

Still faster than driving in shitty winter weather

[@frontrowviews]

The thing the USA always gets wrong with intercity train travel is that you need local transit for it to be a viable alternative to driving. If you need to hire a car at each end to reach your destination, why not just take the car? You absolutely need local busses and tramlines to actually get people from point A to point B.

[@mihiec]

Correct!

[@Kenttheclark]

Yes in China, Japan etc the high speed rail is almost an extension of the metro system.

[@91djdj]

Or even better build a metro with grade separation in the suburbs.

[@ZachariahJ]

Here in the UK, we recently cancelled the most important bit of our one attempt at HSR - the bit that connects the cities of Northern England. They have kept the London - Birmingham bit, which is already well served with connections. But... it's only going from the outskirts of London to the outskirts of Birmingham, with no dedicated shuttles. As you say, there is no point - if people have to use their cars to get to the initial station, and use a taxi at the other end, they may as well take the car all the way!

[@ZachariahJ]

@@Kenttheclark They may have improved things recently, but all the High Speed trains I got in China were from out of town huge great stations, that looked and felt more like airports than stations. They had shuttle buses which were extremely cheap though. But in Japan, you can go to a city centre shopping mall, and take an escalator down to the Bullet Trains! Same in Taiwan, and in S Korea. The HS stations are right at the heart of the cities.

[@raphgeld1271]

A correction. High Speed rail lines do not need to be built on as flat ground as possible, they can have gradients far more severe than conventional rail due to the speed the trains travel at, and their high power to weight ratio. The Frankfurt-Cologne high speed line in Germany or the Marseille-Avignon are good examples of this

[@svenherzfeld8071]

Yes, the proposed maximum gradient for freight is 12.5 per thousand but some high speed lines have up to 40. Both are far from what cog railways or cars can achieve but high speed trains have in fact less problems with slopes than freight trains. The radii are a bigger issue because of the much higher speeds.

[@lassepeterson2740]

True , high speed rail can deal with steep grades much easier than sharp curves .

[@schlollepop]

True. The sheer power of the train sets make it much less of an issue than for heavy freight trains. Gives some rollercoaster vibes though.

[@tortellinifettuccine]

Spain's existence proves the video wrong. So much wrong with these videos like all of his simplified uneducated videos are.

[@ac1455]

@@tortellinifettuccineI always laugh when people give the excuse of terrible geography as a reason why cheap and fast HSR can’t be done when examples such as South Korea, Italy, and Japan exist.

[@TheLiamster]

This should have been built 20 years ago but I really hope it gets finished one day

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

at the latest you`ll be able to ride it with your grandkids

[@jst4572]

The US could’ve looked to ally Japan an even France for this. But like I said in another post we haven’t built it because we can’t. We haven’t built it because you have different industries who think they’ll negatively be impacted by such a transformational transportation project.

[@Liamshavingfun]

Patience

[@0_________________]

dont worry, the automobile industry will make sure it is not going to finish.

[@carholic-sz3qv]

The government should divert thosr trillion dollars wasted on unnecessary wars for the rail and it will be done with the help of immigrant workers in record times.

[@hibob418]

Watch the end of “Blue Thunder” (1983) with Roy Scheider. The movie pays off with a simulated newscast where Mario Machado says something like, “Up next, the weather, and a sneak preview of a Japanese bullet train soon to be seen in the Southland. Maybe…” That was 41 years ago. And finally now work has started on high speed rail to Las Vegas. This country can be maddening.

[@imacuser101]

I took the bright line in Florida and I was beyond impressed. I think if anyone can do it, they certainly can

[@mickmccrory8534]

I drive a Brightline people mover cart in Ft. Lauderdale. Free ride to & from the train station. Everybody loves the train.

[@tntgators]

Red state vs blue state

[@CockatooDude]

@@tntgators Not that simple.

[@jinkenz6459]

Nice. I've seen it roll by. Too bad it doesn't stop in county I am in. :(

[@rrsstt7767]

It exists in EU for 40 years, what a revolution 😂 but there is goes to 220mph!

[@larry4111]

As a South Floridian and railfan who followed the progress of Brightline from the very beginning, I want to commend you for getting the facts right and highlighting what made their project so successful. The people who were surprised were the naysayers who said it would never get done. I watched that box jacking proceed in real time and it was breathtaking. Brightline proved that privately-funded infrastructure projects can move at lightning speed. That's why I believe 100% that LA-Vegas will happen.

[@TheOtherKine]

But here's the point!!!! it DOESN'T go to LA!!!!! It's 45 MINUTES EAST of LA!!!!! SO you have to FIGURE OUT a way to GET TO LA from Rancho Cucamonga!!!! And by 45 minutes, well, we're being very GENEROUS when we say 45 minutes, if there is no traffic on the freeways. And by freeways, well, good luck to you getting to LA from Rancho Cucamonga by TRAIN on TIME!!!!! LMAO It's an absolute JOKE!!!!! Please have a look at the map of the LA areas

[@larry4111]

@@TheOtherKine Oh, trust me, I know. I've been following it from the start and have always thought it was ridiculous to have to transfer to/from there. I've been to Rancho Cucamonga, I know where the train goes. I've literally watched hours of videos and read dozens of pages of proposals and fact sheets about where the train will start/end and why and how to get to/from LA from there. I've posted about this many times and have vigorously argued for the line to continue closer to LA. But that's not Brightline's fault. That's the NIMBYs.

[@TheOtherKine]

@@larry4111 Yeah. Cali politicians are morons, and the voters are gutless

[@myopicchiwawa]

​@larry4111 Yep, you will need a bus station there at RC, to make the final leg.

[@daneflanigan]

@@TheOtherKinestill beats driving to Vegas… that’s the point.

[@skyscraperfan]

It is a smart move to built the track along the highway, because that will make sure that over time millions of car drivers will see those trains pass them at high speed. Many Americans have no idea how fast a train can be and they will see it first hand there.

[@romanrat5613]

Yeah, but also it’s going to be way cheaper

[@jmd1743]

@@romanrat5613 Good way to shut up the NIMBY crowd as well.

[@CrossWindsPat]

@@jmd1743 The god damn NIMBY crowd is a real source of a lot of bullshit in this country man... Spoiled brats.

[@Max-vn6jv]

Building the train on highway medians has its own problems. If the stops are also in the middle of the highway then the most valuable TOD land would be consumed by highway and car dominated infrastructure. Its cheap to built on highways but the designers have the make sure the stops actually take people somewhere they want to go/ can keep moving from without a car.

[@mrhumpty]

@@romanrat5613 Funny enough, as these projects start gaining steam, people realize how expensive the projects are. These railways operate off of the taxpayers back. It's a dispersed cost -> concentrated benefits scenario.

[@kenydemeza]

The Brightline actually got his start south Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami with a stop in Fort Laudable. Just just added two new stops within. The Orlando station recently opened this year.

[@Sandeee]

The problem with America is not a lack of railways, but a lack of public transport infrastructure within the city. You may reach LA in a train quickly but after that you can't roam the city without renting a car. Most people don't take trains just to get to the station.

[@DavidLopez-rk6em]

The sad part is that compared to other major cities, LA has decent public transportation by comparison. LA has subways, lightrail, and metro buses. The infrastructure completely sucks compared to NYC. There are other major cities that have such awful public transportation that it makes LAs look good. The bar is low in america. We cant fund stuff that might benefit poor people

[@-whackd]

LA is disgusting, especially downtown. It is a public urinal.

[@dorkvania7212]

True, but trips to Las Vegas are the opposite. They have a monorail service for most of the strip and even outside of that you are often better off not driving.

[@krazyito]

You're not wrong, but we need something to help spark the need, such as what Brightline is doing. If we just keep saying 'its useless because we don't have x or y' we'll never have it.

[@Unmannedperson]

Same thing could be said for air travel.

[@rayvanwayenburg998]

If you’ve ever been to japan you will understand the attraction of public trains - high speed and inner city subways. There is even a culture surrounding them of train watching and eki bento - train food. It’s such a relief, and even exciting, to catch the bullet train [shinkansen] and special trains wrapped in themes such as Anime series, local baseball teams and even children’s programmes. The stations are clean and easy to use and surrounded with shops and transport connections.

[@mikkowus]

Not possible to have clean nice public places in the USA

[@jeffrosati2570]

I lived in DC in the 90s. Great clean metro. Now it's getting old and there's no money to upgrade it. Also, they're defunding police so it's less safe to ride. The Japanese model would fail here.

[@thomassenbart]

You have to have a population density sufficient to make a public trans/train system work as in Japan, Korea, Europe etc..The USA does not have enough people, save on a narrow corridor from Boston to Wash DC. Everywhere else its simply not practical.

[@norihiro01]

The real reason for the difference is the "public" that is using the trains. Not the hardware or money.

[@sushanitako5054]

You will never get train system like Japan. Bullet trains and every trains are awesome. They move in exact time.

[@prblackhawk]

As a Californian, I heard about the HSR in middle school and was excited to use it in undergrad. Here I am 3 years out of grad school with no hope to ride it any time soon.

[@TBoy1247]

But how many $B in debt are you taking on?

[@efone3553]

Study the economics of passenger railway service and the reason why we will never get it in the western US will become obvious. Their is a reason why it hasn't happened let's see if you can figure it out on your own. Hint, the goal is cost effective transportation. The goal is not to get passenger rail service.

[@frankdesantis8078]

Efone, No not effective transportation, but rather one that rather consumes the most energy and is most costly. Aviation and autos filled that bill perfectly. End of WWll, most urban service rail was ripped up, intercity rail abandoned. With the failure of aviation to provide

[@Thekidisalright]

@@TBoy1247this is the kind of illogical dumb question automobile companies want you to question anyone who support rails and mass-transit.

[@RockwellAIM65]

As a Californian, you no doubt know that nobody wants or needs a high-speed rail here. The system is really efficient as it is.

[@southcalder]

High Speed Rail can tackle extreme (by railway standards) gradients with ease, as long as they can get a straight run at them at full line speed. The Cajon Pass however is not a straight run, and is also a far longer climb than anything built so far in any high speed railway. You are effectively climbing up the side of a mountain, across a highly active geological fault line. It’s truly spectacular to drive along the roads there, and I’ve even stopped to admire the effort required by the BNSF and UP trains fighting up it towards Barstow. A very long sweeping curve from San Bernardino to Hesperia shouldn’t be a challenge. The biggest obstacle would be fitting it in amongst the two existing rail corridors and I-15. It’s probably going to require more than a few viaducts and cuttings though, and in such a seismically active area as well. However, if those obstacles could be overcome, it may be a better route for California HSR to approach LA as well. The I-5 corridor from Bakersfield being far more challenging terrain. Maybe with CHSR and Brightline together, motivation (and finance) could be found for a way from Rancho Cucamonga to DTLA?

[@randerodr7389]

Tunnels help overcome the steep grade problems but they are costly and take time to build. That's what myself and many family members do for a living. All types of tunnels.

[@lucaspadilla4815]

There’s a high desert corridor proposal that would link brightline west and ca HSR to LA thru Palmdale and under the San Gabriel Mountains towards Burbank

[@johnhblaubachea5156]

@@lucaspadilla4815That is Brightline West's Plan "B" to get to LA, and get Central Valley and Bay Area tourists to come to Las Vegas. Because the CAHSR so far behind schedule and Rancho Cucamonga is closer to downtown Los Angeles than Palmdale, they obviously chose to go to Rancho Cucamonga first.

[@OfficialDeftprince]

Ik China can do it let’s hire em 😂😂😂😂

[@johanfalk2875]

Brightline service from Orlando-Miami has been great here in FL. They just hit 300K passengers in the 1st 3 months which is kind of crazy for here.

[@Pantherjonvideos]

That's awesome to hear that ridership is strong! Going to be trying Brightline in March when I go on my cruise out of Miami..Now, wishful thinking, if they would only hurry up and build that extension to Jacksonville! :) LOL

[@tntgators]

Red state vs blue state

[@Racko.]

Thats amazing, this is what happens when projects are held by Private companies who are dedicated to get it done rather than Government money thats usually coming with strings attached and the project almost never gets done, we can ask CA how LA-SF High Speed rail went

[@htm000]

I wish it had a stop in Vero or even Ft. Pierce 😔 but all the old farts don't understand that even if they refuse a station, the train still goes through. All the cons, none of the pros...

[@johanfalk2875]

@@htm000 Just this month Ft Pierce and Stuart put in a bid for a station. Will take a few years to build but the station is definitely going to be built.

[@drewpinsky3365]

Used Brightline to commute to work from boca Raton to west palm beach. Had the premium commuter pass. What an incredible train, with great service. Genuinely looked forward to hanging out in the station for a few drinks after work everyday. Such great energy, hope to see this expansion come into fruition

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

WOW!! Five times a week? So ten trips then? Sounds dreamy!

[@Ven100]

@@michaelrmurphy2734Yes, the commuter pass gives you 40 rides per month which breaks down to 10 per week/ 2 per day (5-day work week). It's a very popular service where the basic Smart monthly pass works out to less than $10 per ride.

[@caesar7734]

Apart from new high speed lines, the US should upgrade existing low speed lines and rebuild closed lines for commuting shorter distances.

[@kazamataurus337]

I was thinking the samething

[@Liamshavingfun]

They shouldn't have to share the lines with freight operators.

[@janettetorrez9218]

They don’t own the railroads. They can’t update someone’s private property. They have to build it.

[@CreatorPolar]

@@janettetorrez9218they can always buy the track from the freight railroads. Given how much they defer maintenance they’d be happy to not have to pay to maintain the tracks. They did this in Virginia for example and rail ridership has been on the rise

[@91djdj]

@@CreatorPolarSame here in Germany. The country owns all the tracks and theyre full of freight trains. Freight companies would be happy if they dont need to spend a penny on maintenance.

[@poke2154]

As a person who has grown up in Orlando, I’ve used the bright line from West Palm Beach to Orlando and it’s fast and definitely a great Moto transportation and it also connects Fort Lauderdale and Miami!

[@tonypapas9854]

Being a native Floridian, Brightline is at least 2 decades late, but it's finally here and makes that route SO MUCH better. It's a start.

[@Lele-lq3tx]

Facts I took it from Miami ti Orlando last month. I love it

[@nobkcook]

The CA to Vegas train should be LA to Vegas... the CA station is over an hour drive from LA, in the middle of nowhere in a town called Rancho Cucamonga. Horrible location. No one is going to use this train. I rode the Shinkansen in Japan, and there are multiple stations in the middle of large cities. Brightline has no excuse not to have the train at Union station in LA.

[@despawn7663]

Just took the northeast regional from Boston to DC, we hit speeds of 125 MPH. I want to travel rail even more it was so stress free.

[@mars7357]

We need more trains and public transportation in america. I haven't clicked on a video so fast since I'm a big advocate for this stuff

[@randomexploring541]

Yes, and we need way less people driving and those same people taking public transportation!

[@ronl2463]

Public transportation can’t ever be safe, why do you think it’s always a failure.

[@apveening]

@@ronl2463 It is only a failure in fourth world countries like the USA, in the rest of the world it just works.

[@TarumpSadiki]

I just hope it’s really expensive so that I don’t need to sit next to bums

[@jimshmee]

This is just a flat lie ​@@ronl2463

[@SergioVieroSavio]

¡Gracias!

[@dioniciotorres4290]

I love the sleeper cars on Amtrak. Hot showers, a bed, plus I'm disabled so I get my own train car. I'm in a wheelchair so they give me a ride on a large golf cart that loads me on, it's pretty awesome. The ride is soooo smooth, it's like floating it's very nice. I never felt stops if there was any, I fell asleep...lol

[@onthatsiete]

Sounds so fucking boring 😂😂😂😂

[@thomasthompson3861]

​@@onthatsietebecause driving through stop start traffic for hours is so riveting?

[@Doraemonthegoatanime]

I hope you're doing well .😁

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Quick note; the US still has what is generally considered the most efficient and extensive freight rail network on earth. We just suck at passenger trains.

[@iii-ei5cv]

Yeah we kill it when it comes to freight rail I believe a huge issue with passenger rail is that it's the freight rail companies that own the actual lines. And Brightline in Florida may be viable because its parent company actually owns the land for the track already

[@icoborg]

@@FoxWolfWorldless free? ahahhahahahaha

[@Ghfvhvfg]

You know why why dit you remive one track to please some shareholder? Wee need to thik lng therm maxbe decide ln amdator capacty for cetain coridora wehre passenger trains are not actively sabotaged

[@darkwoodmovies]

The best part about Brightline West is that all the people stuck on the highway will see the trains zooming by them and they'll wish they were on the train instead. Repeat this a few times in different parts of the country, and you'll change sentiment and people will start to support high speed rail. When I took the Acela it really annoyed me because the train slowed down to a crawl right by the section where there was a massive highway with tons of cars. I was watching the cars speed past us, thinking "if only this thing was going its full 150 MPH potential, it would make those drivers think hard about their driving choices".

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

The Connecticut section is the most frustrating because Amtrak can't do anything about it because the track geometry on that section is completely unworkable

[@glentonrichards]

Rode a high speed train recently in Spain and absolutely loved it. It’s a perfect mode of transportation for both tourists and for those that hate flying. And glad to see that the Brightline West project has officially broken ground as of Spring of 2024! Really looking forward to riding it at some point in the future!

[@xxGravyBabyxx]

I live right next to Rancho Cucamonga and this Brightline project is getting everyone hyped in the San Bernardino county. Rancho is even building a new downtown scene with revovations to the local baseball team and outdoor malls. Being the beginning/final stopped is a big win for the county.

[@inflationRefugee]

Going to be Interesting ! From chino

[@Cal3000]

That's good for the area. I used to live in Fontana near the Rancho area and I did absolutely nothing in the city because it wasn't interesting. Hopefully it gets interesting

[@socalgolf9978]

@@Cal3000maybe in about 20 years

[@nobkcook]

As someone who lives in west LA, no offense, but nobody here wants to drive an hour and 20 minutes to get on the train. There needs to be a stop at least at Union station or it will be a massive inconvenience, and it will miss out on LA passengers.

[@katherinebrubaker7788]

A note: The Acelas can only go that fast in short bursts not because of poor engines, but because of speed restrictions and track that is unsafe to go so fast on.

[@oldunion]

I routinely hit 125 on the NE Regional from NYC to DC. The acela only beats the regional because of less stops on the the southern leg, on the boston leg it is about 45-60min faster due to length less stops, and faster over-all average speed including the 155 section. The regional is the better option price-wise as it's often more than half price.

[@buildintotrains]

Note about the Cajon Pass segment -- high speed trains DONT necessarily need flat terrain to go fast. Watch videos of the TGV effortlessly flying over huge rolling hills in the French countryside.

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

And at grade level, not up on concrete pylons. What I thought would make sense for the Las Vegas to Los Angeles high speed train.

[@hallnall1667]

The Cajon Pass isn't a rolling hill. There's already rail tracks going over Cajon Pass, so it can happen but it won't be traveling fast.

[@buildintotrains]

@@hallnall1667 just saying

[@testman9541]

FYI, max ramp of LGV (TGV track lines) is 3.5%. And with TGV beeing 400m long this means one side is 14m higher than the other 🎉🎉🎉 Cajon Pass is 3.4% at max and 3% most of the time. So the only problem is not the slope but only wether the track can lean at angle to help to maintain max speed on turns... Anyway reducing there on big turns at 200km/h and then accelerating back at 350km/h does not look like a show stopper 🎉

[@discofun]

Because it is wide open rolling hills. NOT A MOUNTAIN PASS

[@jimhearsonwriter]

When I was planning a little rail tour down the NE Corridor (not on an Acela, alas), I asked some US-based colleagues about their experiences of Amtrak - not one of them had ever caught a train, which somewhat blew my mind.

[@bmona7550]

I love trains because the stress of driving a car at a high way everyday for work is insane. Also there would be more job opportunities and makes it easier to apply to jobs in another city.

[@boedilllard5952]

I love trains because when I'm on them I think, "chances are I won't survive this so why worry about tomorrow."

[@admiralmudkip9836]

@@boedilllard5952 Trains are safer than cars by an order of magnitude.

[@danmobile]

@@boedilllard5952 I think you're confusing CARS with trains.

[@alberttom1610]

And if the train derails, you can die instantly, ain't feel a thing ! right ! just make sure you have a nice and chunky life insurance for your love one.

[@danmobile]

@@alberttom1610 Cars are something like 1000x more likely to kill you than trains. I think everyone should proportionally more worried about driving their car than derailing trains.

[@agushll74]

From NY to Washington and Boston and from Miami to Orlando could be a good option. I spent 5 and 6 hours to go from Miami to Orlando once and drive from NY to Washington. I think people will use it a lot. Distances between those cities are similar to those we have in Spain, Barcelona - Madrid, Madrid - Valencia, Madrid - Seville and now Madrid - Oviedo. All connected by high speed trains.

[@wintermath3173]

Yes the Acela between DC and Boston via NYC is good already and new projects that have already been funded will reduce travel time by another 30 minutes between DC and NYC and another 30 between NYC and Boston. nec-commission.com/app/uploads/2021/07/C35-Executive-Summary-Only.pdf

[@romanrat5613]

Have you ever tried taking the train? It’s very convenient and definitely quicker than driving

[@Zerpentsa6598]

Hahahaha. If you can afford it.

[@tortellinifettuccine]

​@romanrat5613 it's not quicker than driving most of the time, hence why most people choose to drive, and also because it's ridiculously overpriced and SLOW. The only reason it sometimes beats traffick is because the slow train isn't slower than back to back car traffick which only really happens to the usa in the same degree, because everyone has to be in a car. Literally everything about that train sucks, it's just an airport ride without all the airport hassle but still the same price and annoyances.

[@tortellinifettuccine]

​@@romanrat5613literally takes 3 hours 51 minutes right now to go from Boston to NYC with acela. 3 hours 54 minutes by car, and that's taking into account driving to the parking spot. So no it's not faster haha, especially considering the car traffic is about at its worst right now

[@Zm4rf]

When the first HSR actually finishes, the rest of the projects will go into hyperdrive after the success is proven.

[@Rob_F8F]

Unless it increases overall traffic and not just replace air and automobile traffic, it will be a failure.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

Success is highly questionable. A system designed by voters, politicians and bureaucrats isnt a good start. Will the customers show up? Unlikely

[@dynasty0019]

@@Dog.soldier1950 Except BLW was not designed by voters, politicians, and bureaucrats. In fact the reason Brightline got things done is because they actively go against those aforementioned entities.

[@CardinalTreehouse]

​@@Dog.soldier1950It needs to be easier/more convenient than what we currently have. If it isn't, you have to insentivise people to use it in other ways.

[@value_engineered]

​@@Rob_F8Fcheck Amtrak statistics as they've basically replaced all shuttle airlines on the East Coast Amtrak Northeast Corridor Fact Sheet www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/nec/fact-sheets/amtrak-nec-fact-sheet-ye2021.pdf

[@gewglesux]

I'm all for it... I can't believe a video where the comments are actually FOR HSR... actually brings a tear to the eye.

[@RogerDiotte]

For sure....agree'd! Just to see the building of it....infrastructure...the lucky engineers that get hired to run them...all that new equipment, new track wow!

[@mediocreman2]

Because we aren't the ones with the money and power lol

[@simplesimon8255]

Drama queen

[@Wildwestwill185]

Rode the bullet train from Paris to Nice to get to Monaco and it was a pleasure, decently comfortable and felt modern from my POV as an American. Really wish public transportation here in the US was good as it was in France

[@mizzury54]

I rode that train 20 years ago so it highlights how far behind we are .

[@mrb3673]

That would of been a TGV train, the bullet train is in Japan, not Europe

[@Agent-lr4ez]

Would prefer it to be like Japan sense they got anime trains.

[@lexburen5932]

@@mrb3673 A bullet train per definition is a high speed train. The TGV counts as bullet train as well.

[@Yosh-wt4lg]

@@mizzury54 france opened the tgv in 1981 actually

[@dcapitan7]

Great video! The Northeast Corridor between NYC and DC is likely the only corridor in 🇺🇸 where traveling by train is faster than driving and competitive with flying. Acela trains in the corridor generally run at 125 mph (~200 kph) in Pennsylvania and Maryland and 135 mph (217 kph) in New Jersey south of Newark. Not surprisingly this is the section of Amtrak that sees the most ridership.

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

Years ago I was at a wedding in New Jersey. At the reception I heard a loud roaring sound every twenty minutes and saw something flashing through on the other side of a hedge. I asked what it was. It turned out we were next to the main rail line between NYC and DC. They were going fast enough that I noticed, anyway!

[@lassepeterson2740]

Due to population density .

[@dcapitan7]

​@@lassepeterson2740 ​Ridership on the NEC went up noticeably after speeds were increased on the corridor. I don't believe that was solely due to population density.

[@lassepeterson2740]

@@dcapitan7 True not "solely due " if the trains are already in good use and service gets improved then you would attract more passengers . But still only if the population density is there of course .

[@jonahsahn]

Seeing Victorville on the map for Brightline west LA to Vegas is amazing. I lived in Victorville as a kid in the mid 90s. I was miserable. I know it has changed since then, with the three areas (Victorville, Hisperia and Apple Valley) all connecting to each other, but unless you had a reliable car, you couldn't get "down the hill." This is going to change things for people in that area for sure.

[@lovly2cu725]

you know its been planned since the 80s

[@HERO_DREAMER]

Apple Valley dweller here - I don’t know how long this route’s been available, but I will note that VVTA does have a bus down to the San Bernardino area (which I often take down to CSUSB). Also, Amtrak’s Southwest Chief does stop in VV once a day each way (not as convenient).

[@Coach_G_high_desert_CA]

Construction on the Las vegas to Rancho Cucamonga has already started. The station in Nevada is north-east of Silverton casino on the east side of I-15 Frwy. The project is moving quickly...

[@markgallagher1376]

I read somewhere that Brightline also has their eye on the I4 corridor for a high speed rail to connect Tampa and Orlando. This has been talked about for as long as I can remember. Maybe Brightline can finally make it happen.

[@starrwulfe]

Not sure why SunRail hasn't done this first TBH. Seems so obvious to tie Tampa-Orlando-Daytona together with rail if possible. A whole Central Florida Mega Region

[@TheCityboy708]

I think it's already in planning

[@bubba842]

​@@karlwithak.Yes. Brighline is making lots of money off so called "Floridians". They are a profitable company.

[@PrinceMauriceTV]

They are going to do it, extend the Orlando station to Tampa

[@RedNuii]

@@karlwithak. They claim that they will break ground on the construction early 2025

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

It's worth noting that according to Brightline West themselves, the travel time between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga will be 2 hours 10 minutes nonstop (2 hours 20 minutes with the stops in Hesperia and Victor Valley). That's an average speed of just over 100 mph for the 218-mile route. Metrolink's San Bernardino Line currently takes 74 minutes to travel between LA Union Station and Rancho Cucamonga, so the total travel time between LA Union Station and the Las Vegas Brightline West station, including time to transfer at RC, will be about 3 1/2 hours. Plus that doesn't include time to get to Union Station, be it from West LA, the San Fernando Valley or Orange County. The Las Vegas station is located about two miles south of the Strip, but Brightline West will offer taxi/rideshare services similar to Brightline in Florida. Brightline West's choice of Rancho Cucamonga had at least partially to do with a proposed underground people mover connecting the RC Metrolink station with Ontario Airport, at one time to be built by the Boring Company but now being done by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, that will use a fleet of autonomous vehicles. It'll make the Rancho Cucamonga station a big transit hub between that, Brightline West and Metrolink, as well as local transit.

[@mrxman581]

Total time about the same as driving albeit with less stress.

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

@@mrxman581 oh it should definitely be a more pleasant experience on the train, at least once you reach BLW. Getting there from LA will require at least one train from Union Station, if not also a ride on Metro or Amtrak/Metrolink from north or south of LA, plus the transfers at RC and Union Station if not starting from downtown LA.

[@mariegarside8830]

I like train travel because I don't have to fuel the train, drive the train, interrupt my travel when I need the restroom, or park the train. While it's not stress free, it definitely is lower stress.

[@MusicismoreImportant]

🚅🚝🇺🇸

[@billkraemer4710]

And the time spent waiting for the late Amtrak train. Always late, always slow.

[@milomateer6565]

As a Swiss American, I love being home in CA, but I miss the Swiss trains so much, I always want to move back but for the trains

[@zaram131]

I totally get it. I didn’t understand until I was in Switzerland. Your train system is so incredible! I fell in love immediately.

[@Israilii]

Probably Switzerland has best train system in the world and also it is available almost everywhere

[@PortugalZeroworldcup]

From USA I miss the trains in Japan, Delhi metro and tgv

[@The_king567]

Stop lying

[@milomateer6565]

@@The_king567 yeah i lied about being swiss american im actually from Mars #martianlivesmatter

[@MrGuerrillero69]

i love the Brightline train in South Florida, one hour from Palm Beach to miami, and you can order a glass of wine, super clean, offers first-class traveling, the station are also marvelous, the bathrooms have all fixtures from Tysom Dyson, no need to touch anything,

[@danielcluley870]

Acela will be the first HSR in the United States. They are currently upgrading the service with new trainsets and some infrastructure upgrades to achieve 160 mph. Supposed to begin service this year but still in testing.

[@waylonk2453]

That is encouraging, thanks for sharing

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

It already technically is high speed rail. That global definition of 155 mph+ is for dedicated tracks, while shared tracks is 124 mph+, which Acela achieves for some of its route, and Amtrak is working to increase speeds on other segments of the NE Corridor.

[@ssss8162]

@@ChrisJones-gx7fc Don't kid yourself

[@Flinn8]

@@ssss8162OK bozo 👌

[@word42069]

@@ssss8162No kidding necessary. Just facts.

[@Meta_was_my_idea]

The engineering part of this is incredible and I'm from LA and I've heard all about this and read all about it, but the problem is that it'll go way over budget.

[@coopa2002]

And that the LA station is literally 2 hours outside of LA lol

[@dynasty0019]

@@coopa2002 Rancho Cucamonga is literally less than an hour away from DTLA on Metrolink's San Bernardino Line express trains.

[@millcity9711]

It has a chance of success since it would be mostly privately funded. The real question is, will there be anything left of LA once it gets there?

[@vossejongk]

don't worry, this is normal in Europe too.

[@coopa2002]

@@dynasty0019 which defeats a good chunk of the point of a high speed train, which is that it is convenient and city center to city center, adding such distance on the other end does not make it convenient. It's actually an hour to an hour and a half, I am basing this to Union Station which is pretty central to LA

[@GeekyMedia]

Didn't think we'd be getting a video today! Great work B1M team. Looking forward to seeing what content you have planned for 2024 🍹

[@ReidSmith-v5d]

Fascinating that an entire video on US trains is possible without a single mention of the the US auto industry's interest in trains staying unsuccessful.

[@briankelly1240]

'underused freight railline I can buy', is a key phrase used. Railroad is actually used probably more than ever in the United States, just not for passengers but for commercial use, which has shoved out residential use for existing lines (in addition to issues noted in this video).

[@tntgators]

Exactly very efficient with freight

[@jeffreysnyder290]

Wrong. We have a ridiculous freight rail system that is predicated on minimizing labor costs, not making good use of the rails. Two mile long trains that block each other, sometimes for a day or more. And of course illegally blocking passenger trains. Our railroads are a national disgrace.

[@tntgators]

Trains still more efficient and if the government gets out of the way

[@pizzajona]

There’s lots of places where freight railroads are cutting back shipping to either focus on single good hauls (e.g. coal) or because places have de-industrialized. Another example of an underused freight rail line is the CSX A Line in Florida. The Orlando part of it has been bought out by the state for SunRail and the Jacksonville part of it has been bought out by Amtrak. If the middle part is bought out, then frequent service between Jacksonville and Orlando could also be run, with trains then going south to Miami on Brightline tracks or to Tampa on their proposed extension.

[@RevolverOcelot79]

@@jeffreysnyder290 Do you typically just make this stuff up as you go along?

[@ucukaoma4551]

I surely hope that high speed trains are successful in these United States of America! Train travels are great and scenic ways to see and explore this beautiful nation!!❤

[@RockwellAIM65]

We're too spread out and at the moment, are not having babies to use them in 20 years. If the ladies will get offa their duffs and start raising kids then yah, commuter trains might be a good idea some places.

[@simplesimon8255]

We have far greater priorities

[@BandanRRChannel]

Ey, B1M finally covered Brightline! Frankly, I'd say the Orlando-Miami route is practically worth a video by itself.

[@LaurenBerns]

Thanks for this great, pretty deep discussion the public policy of rail (and roads). Only wish you'd also made some mention of how these same considerations can be applied to bus service.

[@stevechapple9569]

I hope they have better luck with this than the UK has with the infamous HS2 project

[@lecho0175]

Sounds to me like an anglosphere thing.

[@corsacs3879]

@@lecho0175well the shared language makes US carbrain spread much easier, though HS2 probably wouldn’t have been cancelled if Sunak wasnt in power

[@alexverdigris9939]

@@corsacs3879 HS2 would have been canceled no matter which PM in office. It was overambitious in terms of specs, which made it unaffordable, and poorly thought through in terms of connectivity, which makes it less justifiable. Plus no connection to HS1, no high speed connection to Heathrow airport, you'd think it was a project conceived by a megalomanic dictator from an oil-rich nation who wants a pet project to make him feel grand, and sod all else.

[@innsaeimaster]

A smart move to build hi-Speed train lines between highway routes like they are build in the us. There is much potential in this. Finally also Northern America is starting to build more train lines.

[@ANONAAAAAAAAA]

High speed rails only make sense when they directly connect between city centers from where you can access destinations by public transits. If you have to go to the station by cars and have to park there, the stations must be located at suburban areas to accommodate many cars. In such case, there is no advantage of high speed rails compared to airlines.

[@Gfynbcyiokbg8710]

There is still a big advantage, but it's still much worse than if there was last mile tranist

[@ronnyrueda5926]

This project is connecting with Metrolink to get you to Union station that has many transit options for the LA area with more going online in the coming years. As for Vegas. I don't see any changes there anytime soon but at least the station is relatively close to the strip and once there most people don't really venture out.

[@mikelherrasti2697]

Exactly, these train stations should not be a “park & ride” concept. No everyone wants to drive or has to get in a car.

[@themoviedealers]

Brightline would be well connected to mass transit in the Los Angeles basin. Metrolink has just updated from commuter rail to all day service. Connections to there from other local trains and buses has been improving.

[@robbie6905]

completely true, but one step at a time! this project (should) incentivise local public transport connections

[@Skipping2HellPHX]

9:00 "connecting all the way to Los Angeles" hold your horses there. Rancho Cucamonga is hour away from LA without traffic, it isn't even in the same MSA.

[@prabuddhaghosh7022]

But the LA metro does go till Rancho so you can change over to the LA metro.

[@sonozaki0000]

But that's it right there, isn't it? "Without traffic". As someone actually from Rancho who lives in LA now -- that's a big gamble. Metrolink is more consistent and, more crucially -- you don't have to sit and focus on the road. Metrolink has tables, restrooms, and outlets. You can walk around and talk, even take a nap -- while still moving to your destination! You can actually ENJOY your time spent getting somewhere, what a concept!!

[@wholefoods_parmesan]

literally so thankful that the brightline exists, my biggest issue with it currently though is that as convenient as it is of an option to get to and from south Florida to Orlando, the tickets (in my opinion) can get so expensive depending on the time of day, and it's still often times more affordable to drive for a lot of people, especially if you're talking about a family or any group of people traveling together :( I hope the prices can become more reasonable here in FL and also that they'll be reasonable for brightline west

[@c0d3warrior]

Train travel is only affordable if it is highly subsidized and even then everyone is still paying for it, only indirectly through taxes. Sorry to burst your bubble there.

[@asier_getxo]

@@c0d3warrior yeah, because highway construction and mantainance is not highly (as in 100% if without tolls) subsidised by public money. Sorry to burst your bubble there.

[@kaspervestergaard2383]

Got him good. @@asier_getxo

[@chris8576a]

As an individual rider it’s cheaper to pay hundreds for train tickets verses depreciation on your car

[@c0d3warrior]

@@asier_getxo Well good luck trying to keep a country running without roads. No, you can't transport everything by rail instead, at least not with building at least as much railway lines as there are roads. And even then some things just can't be transported via rail so now you have to maintain an ungodly amount of train tracks ontop of the still necessaary roads. And even with the most refined public transport system, most passenger journeys in the countryside will have a much shorter travel time by car as opposed to public transport, simply because Trains or Busses will have to drive into villages to stop once in a while to load/unload passengers while the car can continously travel straight from A to B and avoid builtup areas. Public transport will never fully be able to replace cars, so you'll always need roads. Public transport / Train travel therefore will always be optional with limited use. So it onlymakes sense to fund roads with tax money, simply because they are a basic nessecity in any case. But hey, go ahead and fund roads completely by tolls instead, this will increase transport cost for all goods, increaing prices in shops. So even then everyone will still pay for the roads, just through a different channel. Typical activist rhetoric that only reveals your simplistic world view. Cars bad, people bad, me smort. You're an idiot, sorry to burst your bubble.

[@91djdj]

I was flying through the US on Google maps and saw that many if not most Interstate Highways have a decent amount of space between the lanes. A big part of the highways are just straight lines and building between them shouldnt be really expensive compared to space where tracks are running through someones property. The way i see it is that somebody somehow needs to assemble a large quantity of investors in the sector of housing, entertainment and retail etc and explain to them how high speed rail can dramatically create a mobile mass of people around CBDs, ready to spend money on shopping, food and drink, leisure, entertainment, holidays etc. It mostly depends on how such a project of CBD transformation would be sold.

[@Yay295]

Highways can have tighter turns than rail though, so just because there's a gap doesn't mean it's suitable for a train.

[@91djdj]

@@Yay295 Absolutely. In some sections, HSR still needs to run outside of the Interstate. The potential is nonetheless massive. A lot of countries would literally "kill" for this option. I am highly involved into building new infrastructure in Germany. And we're crazy desperate to find place to say the least 😂

[@Ometecuhtli]

Yes, curve gradients for high-speed trains are way different from those of highway roads. Sweden's tilting train, the X 2000, or the German ICE-4M equivalent I think is it's name, for Central Europe, doesn't run alongside in that manner, in any case are not the highest speed versions and I think, although not done before doesn't mean they can't pull it off, it is better if they can just stick to the traditional way of doing high-speed rail and then later experiment with some more "creative" ideas.

[@yodafloats9090]

I can't be the only one who thinks 140 billion dollars for 1 train is redickulus, right?

[@91djdj]

@@yodafloats9090 they shouldn't be that expensive but the inflation does it's job.

[@lovly2cu725]

been talking about la to lv for 40 years. i will believe it when i see it

[@DK33O]

If Brightline can successfully introduce their LA to LV service, hopefully a precedent will be set for other cities/regions to follow. This is probably our best shot at getting HSR here in the States for the foreseeable future .

[@morningstararun6278]

A rich country like US should never build high speed train. Invest money in Tesla and get more high end cars. High speed trains are not suitable for developed countries.

[@whathell6t]

⁠​⁠@@morningstararun6278 Do you actually have citations in MLA or APA format to back your claim that a developed country cannot do high-speed rail?

[@morningstararun6278]

@@whathell6t Not suitable in the sense, the people in rich countries would prefer luxury cars over trains. And prefer flights instead of high speed trains. So it doesn't make any sense to build high speed railway network in developed countries.

[@whathell6t]

@@morningstararun6278 You still haven’t answered my question. You responded anecdotally.

[@morningstararun6278]

@@whathell6t I don't have any research papers to back my claim. But it is a opinion based on general observation of USA by someone from a third world country.

[@jfmezei]

On December 20, 1967 the United Aircraft TurboTrain reached 273kmh (~170 US miles per hour) on the Pennsylvania Railroad in New Jersey. This records stands today. However, built by an aircraft company, the old railways used to maintaining steam engines had no epertise to maintain and operate this train. CN in Canada did spend the time to fix the train and learn about it and the Turbo remains in service till early 1980s. Its technology was since blocked by FRA since the 1980s since FRA required heavy steel trains, balked at jacobs bogies (and got amtrak to retire the Talgo trains that had been given an exemption). Except for propulsion, the train itself was right up there with today's TGVs. (aluminium car bodies, jacobs bogies, passive tilting, pressurized interior etc). CN managed to cut Montréal-Toronto by one hour for some time to do the distance in 3:59 instead of over 5 hours (today, VIA does it in 5.5 hours or more). In the end, it is about the tracks, not the trains.

[@coenfilm]

Well done Fred. Always enjoy the B1M stories. I’ve ridden the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto and back and the London to Paris train. Brightline seems to know how to get it done. They did a nice job in Florida and hope they do the same in LA. I’ve also ridden Amtrak between Anaheim ARTIC and Ventura County business class and it is a nice ride. Also, rode BART for years.

[@georgesealy4706]

It seems that a Phoenix to Las Vegas high-speed rail line could work too. There already exists a straight highway between the cities. Union Pacific is working on re-establishing passenger service between Tucson and Phoenix. Passenger service ended in the mid-1990s and the Phoenix station was closed, but not demolished. Current Amtrak service bypasses Phoenix to the south with the station operating in Maricopa.

[@DangerB0ne]

Vegas to Albuquerque with a stop in Phoenix would also be possible and would connect the major cities of 3 states together. From there it wouldn't be too hard to connect to and future lines in Texas.

[@aimxdy8680]

Same story here in Indianapolis. Train station is almost never used and Amtrak comes like every few days or every few hours and it’s mostly just to chicago and that’s it.

[@chrisf1147]

It’s not surprising that such a project was started in Orlando. It used to be the experimental prototype city of tomorrow- and today is the international headquarters for space travel. Nothing to scoff at.

[@studyrounded]

YES more videos on trains please, love it

[@ronzac55]

i hope US will catch up with Asia in terms of the HSR network, It'd be great ideas to connect major cities in US with HSR networks. We were doubtful when our first 220mph HSR was constructed back in mid 2010s. The HSR route has been finished this year and so far it has served more than 1 million passenger! Turned out a pretty great idea connecting 2 major Indonesian cities.

[@Brah_Lizard]

it will never ever ever catch up lol

[@lassepeterson2740]

Nooo we DONT want that ! High speed only where and if needed , not in everyone's back yard .

[@tntgators]

The united states uses railroads for freight which is very efficient and europe use railroads for commuting And diesel trucks for freight which is very inefficient

[@evertonporter7887]

I wish them the best of British luck with this project, after the HS2 fiasco here in the UK.

[@stevecooksley]

Hey, they're terminating nowhere near the centre of LA so they've copied that idea!

[@Tony-lj5lr]

Britain railways are a joke I'm an american and I've been around europe and i can say this with absolute confidence

[@SecondAccount-jd3oo]

Im from India and gladly Ahemdabad-mumbai will start soon in 2026 will having high speed trains running at 320 kmph(200mph) 😊

[@justindrew9702]

Great idea. We had success with city rail in Perth Western Australia doing a similar thing there were plans for rail to Joondalup and Mandurah but what we have today was because a labor government took over and said. No let’s go straight down the centre of the freeways which were already busways to the city doing it this way got it ALOT further then was ever planned, now the money is being spent on things like airport links and suburban loop lines, perhaps we got lucky the disagreement between the government on which way the trains should go meant a lot of corridors were already preserved but it’s turned out great for WA, Melbourne is now trying to do the same thing for an ENORMOUS cost but Perth already has a partial suburban loop and an airport train 😂😊

[@Spookieham]

It's blindingly obvious when you think about it now that highway corridors should contain space for future trains. I notice the Forrest Highway is the same lots of space for trains if need be. Maybe one day they will bite the bullet on an direct link to Bunbury god knows the Govt can afford it

[@Alex-bt2nz]

I just flew out of Perth today. Had rented a car and it was cool to see the trains pass by in the middle of the freeway on the drive down to Mandurah.

[@thevannmann]

Hopefully Metronet Stage 2 will include more orbital links as well as LIGHT RAIL. Perth needs more options such as trams running between activity centres.

[@Stargate2077]

I feel like people don’t realize how large California’s High Speed Rail network is. When fully complete, it will be 1,300 kilometers. That is larger than Italy’s entire high speed rail network, which was built over a 30 year period.

[@coreypowers2988]

That's fair... Tho China would like to have a talk with their 42000 km. Even if Cali is faster than Italy (with just a late start), it's still possible to build even faster

[@word42069]

@@coreypowers2988China is a communist country that can pay peasant wages with crap safety and minimal standards… not a valid comparison to European or North American infrastructure. Not to mention they just copy European and North American infrastructure.

[@AllenGraetz]

It's 15 years since the referendum passed. Cali HSR hasn't laid a single rail. They still don't have funding in place to complete the first ~100 mile section. This ain't a size problem. They're organizationally incompetent.

[@TheRealIronMan]

@@coreypowers2988 All built within the last 15 years too, China as a developing country started the HSR game decades late than most developed countries, ppl just like making excuses for "their team", stop doing that and demand your leaders to perform better.

[@AndrewManook]

@@TheRealIronMan Yep they started in 2008 when they were very underdeveloped.

[@JulianRyf]

Actually, high speed trains can handle steep inclines quite well as they are generally very powerful. Many french and german high speed train lines offer inclines of up to 40 promilles. Definitely much steeper than what a freight train generally handles.

[@Ometecuhtli]

That is correct, the difference is actually curve gradients, although cargo trains can run alongside almost any highway for high-speed passanger trains like Shinkansen, TGV or ICE you need a separate line and can't use the freeway median as depicted in this video.

[@foblife8904]

It not about how powerful the traction motor is. Steel on steel can only offer so much friction, wheel slip and you end up with bad motor.

[@PortugalZeroworldcup]

Washington and Boston should've had it done Lb Johnson would've been remembered

[@edwardhogan1877]

Has it something to do with storing the. energy used in regenerative. braking to give them a ' boost' going uphill?

[@johnnychun59]

My first thought on the LA-Vegas line was the Cajon Pass. Sure enough, that was briefly mentioned. Back in the 80s, Amtrak ran between LA and Vegas. Going through the Cajon Pass, we could see cars on I-15 going much faster than the train. In total, the train trip took 7 hours. 😆 But we didn't have to worry about traffic. We stayed in the club car the entire trip drinking beer and playing cards with the train crew.

[@29brendus]

Nothing wrong with that! Yay!

[@RockwellAIM65]

We could just lower taxes in California so people don't commute from Riverside to Vegas every weekend! That's the only reason any of my friends are in Vegas... to evade taxation.

[@29brendus]

@@RockwellAIM65 Only reason?

[@johnhblaubachea5156]

Too bad Amtrak was forced to terminate the Desert Wind back in 1997.

[@nannerz1994]

The annoying part about the Vegas to LA one is it doesn't go to LA It goes to rancho Cucamonga which is like 30 mi away

[@mizzury54]

but you can get there by regional rail.

[@bryanlee3641]

And there is a plan (or at least an idea) of connecting CA High-Speed Rail with Brightline West via Apple Valley. If we can get high-speed rail there, that might allow you to go from Vegas to LA at high speed, maybe even on one train.

[@DudeStone]

Now you can party in Vegas all night and at 3am pass out on the way back for work in LA at 7

[@timisaacson5509]

Good video. As others have mentioned, local transportation is important to making high speed rail work. Many European and Asian cities are very walkable and/or have great public transportation (subways, busses) to get around once you get to your destination. Most American cities do not. When choosing future destinations for potential high speed rail the end stations should be in places that are walkable and have good public transit.

[@bradleythomasburdentrainta366]

Out of all American high-speed rail proposals, Brightline West is the one I see the most potential in.

[@jfmezei]

Brightline has been a PR success. Managed to label its train as high speed, and managed o get media to regurgitate the first privately funded" train. Brightline has received HUGE sumes of government fnding and financial help to do Miami-Orlando Airport. (and this is partly why the entension to Orlanso and Tampa is on hold as they await to see which city will provide the most funding to get a route through them.). This is just the freight railroad FEC having leveraged its right of way and land onwed around the tracks to develop stations. Miami to Orlando is no faster in speed than VIA rail trains between Montréal and Ottawa or Montréal and Toronto. Sure they have a short bit out of Orlando where train picks up speed, but the rest is all at very conventional speeds at 125kmh whioh is slower than many Amtrak trains. The service is great, but the pitch by Brightline is highly exagerated. It has so many rail crossings along the way that there is no way this could ever become "high speed". Except for Miami, all other stations were built at ground level for tracks which precludes ever elevating the tracks to provide hifher speeds. The Siemens trains have their roots on older Viaggios from europe which were then downgraded to meet US FRA standards and are heavy, diesels. There is absolutely nothing "high speed" about them, and they stll rely on old 1950s light signals along the routewhich is a 1950s heavy diesel freight railroad, except for stratch between Coco Beach and Orlando Airport; (Brightline does not serve Orlando per say as this woudl entail FEC paying another railroad for rights to use tracks into Orlando).

[@edwardhogan1877]

You mention Brightline receiving very. generous. grants from the taxpayer . Is that not a weakness with sole reliance on private firms for. passenger. rail travel since they can 'pull up stakes' (and. miles. of track) at will and. leave the. business if they can make more. money for their. shareholders elsewhere? What happens to the. taxpayers money in such cases?

[@jfmezei]

For Brightline Florida, the costs to run the train are very low because they own the tracks all the way (hence no service to Orlando itself) So easy to be profitable. And he real estate division is happy because it increases value of land around tracks to build condos instead of industrial wasteland. Brightline West will be a different story assuming it gets built once the baton passes from marketing to engineering. (in particular Cahun pass at highway grandes). Note that Amtrak makes money on the E Corridor where it owns the tracks, and in France, most TGV lines are profitable. @@edwardhogan1877

[@rockyroad-hq7hz]

I was a bit doubtful early on. But looking at predictions. California plans on having half all it's vehicles electric by 2030. If you're going to be stuck in traffic on the I-15. With charging stations far in-between, or take a high-speed train that's electrified running triple the speed. With pretty much all the way right-away. It becomes a no-brainer! With current plans on extending Brightline West further into LA proper. Hands down would make it the best option between destinations.

[@Jaffjv]

As someone who’s taken the Brightline down to Miami a few weeks ago, it was really empty. Not a good sign

[@Ven100]

A hilarious joke of a comment considering the high ridership Brightline has gotten not just since the opening of Orlando but over the last 2 years. Did you know in 2022 they carried 1.23 million passengers? If it were an Amtrak route, it would have been the second busiest route in the nation outside of the Northeast Corridor - only behind the Pacific Surfliner. Through 8 months of 2023 they carried 68% more passengers than it did in 2022 during the same time frame. Since the opening of Orlando, the ridership has exploded.

[@Jaffjv]

@@Ven100 Im saying this as someone who supports high speed rail (hence why I took it) but at least anecdotally, when I was rode brightline it was empty. Also, my workplace in Broward has a rear patio next to the track so I see them pass by all day long and I’ve never seen more than 10% of the seats filled

[@Ven100]

​@@Jaffjvand I'm someone who's taken it many times and has been on packed trains. Clearly their ridership numbers suggests far more than your "I've only seen it filled at 10% that most" 😒

[@jonblair5470]

Orlando is the number 1 traveled to city in the US and Vegas number 2 so it’s really not surprising brightline started with Orlando, and now Vegas

[@fyhuel9339]

Great video as always... but... using standard international units would greatly be appreciated by a lot of viewers. Most people outside of the US have no clue how fast or how slow is 100 Mph. No need to tell both imperial and metric systems, a caption in the video would be enought. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

[@mickmccrory8534]

100mph is pretty fast. If your car only goes 100 km/hr. It's pretty slow.

[@willythemailboy2]

A good way to mentally convert is to use sixes. For miles to km it's 1.6 (i.e. 100 mph is roughly 160 kph) and for km to miles it's roughly 0.6 (i.e. 100 kph is roughly 60 mph). That may not help much if you're not good at doing math in your head but it's something to remember.

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

Plus if these trains are going to be electric, as they are in Europe and Japan, I don't think that our D+ rated power grid could handle the load. Each TGV can consume tens of millions of watts.

[@almicklee]

i’m happy to see more trains but i still think privatized rail is a mistake

[@yeetiusmaximuss]

I lived in south korea for a year, and japan for 2. I love their rail systems, especially the high speed rail networks like the ktx or shinkansen. I'm a firm believer in high speed rail, and if the US invested in these rail lines and trains between major cities across the US at least, it would be so much better than traveling by air.

[@Eurobazz]

As a ferroequinologist Fred, you covered this topic very well. However, I don't know why the US is concentrating on the high speed aspect. They should upgrade tracks currently used by passenger trains and build new tracks that don't necessarily allow trains to exceed 155 mph. However, the elephant in the room will always be the fact that the major freight companies own over 90% of tracks which are not always suitable for passenger traffic. Best of luck USA!

[@lecho0175]

Aren't they they are big hurdle for propper electrification? They want to sell hydrogen and battery as more reliable than electrification

[@ajayl9437]

Wresting control from the freight companies is going to be so difficult that that’s why I think it’s better to just build the greenfield infrastructure for HSR to guarantee priority for passenger movement

[@arcticelectric]

@@lecho0175 there are major sections esp out west that are so remote that electrification is not feasible due to voltage drop or line loss. couple that those areas are the ones dealing with power issues (mostly due to issues like water flow on the Colorado river/hydro electric) makes these really hard to implement. Currently the U.S. is dealing with the biggest problem ever faced in public works: most of our infrastructure was built in the 1930-1960's and is falling apart, and our electrical grids are a huge part of this. With the electrification of EVERYTHING we have made it into the realm of "do I charge my vehicle so I can go to work tomorrow, or do I run heat/AC?" (esp in places like CA where they are actively banning things like natural gas/propane for heating and cooking, and gas powered lawn/small equipment and pushing EV's while shutting down nuclear plants while the installation of "green" tech and the power generation of said tech can't keep up with the demand..) we are running into issues like the failure of PGE to properly maintain their transmission lines which was the likely cause of multiple wildfires, or the Texas blackout, or even the TVA's outlook that they are currently pushing capacity. The infrastructure at this point physically can't handle a nationwide electrification without MAJOR upgrades that will cost BILLIONS of dollars, which will be pushed on the customers who already can't afford it. (Look at the rate hike after Hurricane Laura in TX/LA)...

[@ericktellez7632]

While the US has been debating on building HSR and giving money to Elon Musk to reinvent busses but underground, Mexico has finished building this year close to 2,000 km of new railway since 2018 and about 5 completely new trains, the following year in February of 2024 the construction of the high speed rail between Mexico city and Queretaro will break ground and is expected to reach 190 mph average

[@civisjon]

Please specify that in Mexico they have mediocre trains, mediocre lines, mediocre stations, everything in the hands of the army, and that they have a service that is a joke, a banana republic that will never have a superfast train compared to what the USA wants to do. Please avoid your fallacious comments, the USA is looking for something of quality worthy of first world, not the mediocrities they have done in Mexico with cheap stations and cheap trains. For example, Mexico Querétaro is just an idealistic idea, the results we can already know will be mediocrity like everything the government has done without comparing it with the other mediocrity that they did in the south areas of México with the Mayan Train with slow trains, stations worthy of the Third World, and horrible services worthy of Mexico.

[@pineapplesareyummy6352]

@@civisjon If I want to see mediocrity and sick joke of a public transportation system, there is no better place to start than the US, rofl!! Mexico may not be among the world's leaders, but it is still AHEAD of the US, and it is a safe bet Mexico will have HSR first before the US. That's how bad the US is, rofl!

[@merrychase9744]

@@civisjon someone is jelly.

[@CastleRaccon]

@civisjon I like how you say this while 2nd and some 3rd world countries have better transport than the usa. Take a bus or economic class and see how below mediocre we have it

[@chjin1796]

Ironically, the railway system that Americans were once proud of was inseparable from the efforts of Chinese workers.

[@lordd794]

When I lived in Seattle, we would often take Amtrak down to Portland for a weekend, or up to Vancouver, B.C. it was so much easier and less stressful than driving. Having those same routes only take an hour and a half, instead of 3 and a half, would open up more opportunities regionally for business, and entertainment.

[@franchypoo]

Its so easily done, car lobbyists just don't want it to happen. Guess who the government keeps listening to

[@RealMTBAddict]

Brightline is working great in Florida!

[@spider6660]

Because of tourism.

[@Gfynbcyiokbg8710]

Um

[@Ven100]

@@spider6660 More locals use it than tourists. The commuter population between West Palm Beach and Miami was so large that once were hourly trains at 5:36am, 6:36am, 7:36am quickly became 5:36am, 6:36am, 6:51am, 7:04am, 7:36am. Tourists aren't getting up between 4:30am-6am to take a train in Miami in the morning. The commuter monthly passes had each ride equating to less than $10. As far as Orlando, since opening 66% of the ridership has been from Florida residents - with only 33% being from out of state and international tourists. While tourism is a factor, it hasn't been the driving force.

[@derfatalerror1541]

Having the speed and distance in metric as well would be nice. Seeing these numbers that don't mean anything to most people or constantly converting puts a dent in this otherwise excellent video.

[@johnp139]

No one cares about your arrogant measurement system.

[@13terapyn]

Craziest thing is that even as recent as the early 2000s, you could drive from Orange County California to Las Vegas in less than 3 and 1/2 hours. Then Vegas became a full-fledged vacation destination and turned interstate 15 into an absolute parking lot, taking as long as 12 hours+ on certain weekends like Super Bowl and the NCAA college basketball finals. That's when flights to Vegas became very popular and plentiful relieving much of the congestion on the I-15

[@robertmartinez1228]

The problem is mate,the American oil companies have a choke hold on our state and local politicians not to build a high speed rail.the oil companies are keeping people in their cars only. were trapped.

[@sonozaki0000]

So? We still have to fight back, we always have to try something, even if it fails; that's just our lot. They're counting on us being complacent.

[@tankextremez5605]

which is irrelevant because most of Brightline is privately funded and existing state law giving them right of way for construction is keeping the project profitable.

[@darkrising8280]

@@tankextremez5605 See high speed rail is the top of the pyramid when it comes to transport. If I have railway connecting Huston to Austin or SF to LA, once you get there, you are trapped because of the lack of bus and metro infrastructure to move around. So why take rail when taking your car will save you the headache when you get there, you need the base to be built first and our government refuses to fund or enforce that. Which leads to very little reason to build high speed rail. These companies that keep lobbying in our government have essentially fucked this country over, I genuinely hate how that is allowed with zero regulation because companies always value profit over people.

[@38284LHK]

The expected date of completion plus 10 years unless you get the Chinese to do it for. The question is whether they are interested because American politicians say one but do another.

[@jonathanj8303]

11:25 "Cajon Pass ...HIgh speed traims really have to travel om groumd that's as flat a possible, so they need to slow down through this keep section.." Completely and totally wrong. High speed trains have high power to weight ratio and steep grades are simply not a problem. Modern ones with distributed power and high adhesion are even better, but even when the initial french TGV lines were being built and separate power cars were comsidered the only option, grades of 1/27 were fine. The problem with Cajon Pass is that if you want to go fast, you have to go straight, and maintaining speeds significantly over 100mph means you need curves with radii in miles - building that through mountains inevitably comes with a hefty civil engineering bill.

[@Ven100]

Yeah, the rolling stock of a Siemens Velaro will have no problem with the Cajon Pass.

[@jeremyw.5729]

Many comments mention the lack of short-range public transportation, but this is the same problem air travelers have always faced. Train stations are still much more convenient than airports.

[@johnbarry5036]

I live in DTLA and also have a home in Vegas, north of the strip. It takes slightly under 4 hours to make the trip, which Ive done over 30 times. I always avoid peak traffic times/holidays. This "5 hour" estimate is off, unless you're going 55mph.

[@tonyjuarez3034]

THERES ALWAYS TRAFFIC IN LA 😂

[@aquilaFUN]

Not securing every single inch of land needed BEFORE you start laying as much as an inch of new railway is absolutely insane. Who handles these projects? The Expertise is obviously there, seeing how Brightline manages to make it work

[@franciscodanconia4324]

Politicians handle the CA HSR project. That is your explanation.

[@NathanMoist]

I guess they figured it worked for building the transcontinental railway so why wouldn't it work for them? lol.

[@Ometecuhtli]

If it's any consolation it does happen everywhere local governments do actually have a say, i.e. Japan not being able to secure land rights in Shizuoka for its maglev route, unlike in centralist governments like Mexico where a president says we'll build a Tren Maya and magically all ecological, land rights, private properties, etc. issues disappear from one day to the next.

[@walterpleyer261]

Where's the issue with Cajon pass? A tunnel would be approx. 10-11km long. European engineers don't even blink about that and just dig under it. And changing traines in Rancho Cucamonga just shows they don't get what really makes railway atractive: City center to city center connections

[@greasher926]

In regards to Rancho Cucamonga, they are waiting for CAHSR phase 2 to be completed (LA-San Diego) which will be routed through the inland empire. In the meantime there is a commuter rail that will link Rancho Cucamonga to LA.

[@memory-card]

You don't even a tunnel. It's about 400 m elevation change on ~20 km of track, so a moderate 20 ‰ gradient. A TGV or ICE train could easily handle 35-40 ‰.