High Speed Rail

The Authority is ready to purchase trainsets, and once again, the Siemen's rail manufacturing facility in Sacramento is looking to add another contract to add to its growing rail car orders. A request for "expressions of interest" was issued.

October 4, 2014 - Sacramento Business Journal

All Aboard Florida, the diesel-powered, high speed (125 mph) train connecting Miami to Orlando has ordered new locomotives and coaches with Siemen's Sacramento, California plant. The mostly privately funded train should be running by 2016.

September 15, 2014 - Orlando Sentinel

Notwithstanding a favorable court ruling freeing state bond funds, construction is delayed on the 800-mile project, reports Ralph Vartabedian of the LA Times. Jessica Calefati of the Mercury News writes on opponents' appeal to the state Supreme Court

September 4, 2014 - Governing

A $102 million investment by Illinois along with federal funds from the Recovery Act will pay for double-tracking and a new rail bridge to enable 109 mph service on a key section of Amtrak's Chicago to St. Louis high speed rail corridor.

September 3, 2014 - Chicago Sun-Times

Deepa Sanyal writes the second installment of a series devoted to the idea of "Rail Redux"—this time examining the question of what components are necessary to drive a "true rail resurgence."

August 21, 2014 - PlannersWeb

That was the message from Gov. Jerry Brown after a state appeals court unlocked a lower court's hold on $9.95 billion of state bond funds for the $68 billion project. He exchanged words with HSR opponent House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

August 5, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Both sides have been awaiting this ruling, which left Gov. Jerry Brown and the High Speed Rail Authority greatly pleased: the appeals court ruling releases $9.9 billion of 2008 voter-approved bond funding, though other court battles loom.

August 1, 2014 - The Fresno Bee

No, the debilitating lawsuits haven't been resolved, so the HSR Authority still can't tap the $10 billion in voter-approved bonds, but the new state budget based on cap-and-trade revenue for HSR is sparking inquiries from private investors.

July 24, 2014 - Inside Bay Area

An article by Amy Crawford details the prospects of a plan to build a private rail connection between Houston and Dallas—the Texas Central Railway—that would be modeled on lines in Japan, and funded by Japanese interests.

June 20, 2014 - CityLab

The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Center offers good news about California's slow-to-start high speed rail.

May 28, 2014 - SPUR Blog

California Gov. Brown’s support of high speed rail contrasts sharply with his gutting of affordable housing. Michael Russell, real estate developer and advisor, reviews pending bills and potential fixes for affordable housing.

May 27, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Reports from Beijing are that Chinese officials are considering a high speed rail project that would connect China to North America. The project sounds like science fiction—but the question remains whether China would or could pull off the project.

May 11, 2014 - China Daily

The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston recently announced their support of a high-speed rail connection between the two metropolitan areas. The line would be privately funded.

March 28, 2014 - Dallas News

House Republicans object to further funding of the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program - largely due to California's expectation to receive $42 billion in federal funding - yet less ambitious projects have shown much promise.

May 8, 2013 - Governing Magazine

Is California's High-Speed Rail (HSR) a "boondoggle" for the state, as its critics assert, or just a boondoggle for omitted cities? How should such cities deal with omission from HSR? San Diego is a case in point.

April 7, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

Acela has improved connectivity along the Northeast Corridor, but is that actually a good thing? Aaron M. Renn argues that high-speed rail has actually hurt America by giving the finance industry a stranglehold over fiscal and monetary policies.

December 26, 2012 - New Geography

By announcing this week that it will scrap plans to upgrade Acela trains incrementally, and instead replace them all with new equipment, the passenger rail carrier is signaling that it is speeding up the timeline for higher-speed rail service.

December 14, 2012 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Writing from Madera in the Central Valley, the Mercury News transportation reporter explores the local opposition to the largest public works project in the nation. Farmers wanted an injunction placed on the CA High Speed Rail Authority to halt work.

November 17, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

Two days after the CA High Speed Rail Authority received federal environmental streamlining of the 60-mile Merced to Fresno segment, the Federal Railroad Administration announced they will do the same for the 114-mile Fresno to Bakersfield segment.

September 24, 2012 - The Fresno Bee

Long lines at airport security and weather delays have contributed to Amtrak's commanding travel mode share between D.C. and NYC, and majority share between NYC and Boston, but the lead is threatened by the competition and aging infrastructure.

August 17, 2012 - The New York Times - Business Day