High-Speed Rail in the United States: A Golden Opportunity

The current U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, recently shared his vision to see the United States “leading the world when it comes to access to high-speed rail.” Given the current state of passenger rail service in America, achieving that vision will be a Herculean task. America lags far behind Europe and Asia in high-speed rail development – only 33.9 miles (54.6 km) of the current U.S. passenger rail network is capable of supporting train speeds in excess of 150 mph. Sidley Transportation lawyers Raymond Atkins, Terry Hynes, and Morgan Lindsay explain why they believe that private investment is the way forward for high-speed rail in the U.S., but not without government support.