25 Countries Have Bullet Trains. Why Don't We?

Photo: MaedaAkihiko Creative Commons 4.0

Alright. We've put men on the moon and land rovers on Mars. It's obvious we have the technical know-how. So what's the problem? 

First, most countries have national rail ownership, centralized planning and eminent domain authority, which our citizens especially despise. The U.S., on the other hand, has Federal, state and local layers, and lawyers bringing decades of litigation. Key transport corridors are served by privately owned railroads.  

A. second reason is that in the U.S., highways and airports are our primary investment, both of which are subsidized. Passenger rail's decline leads to ever fewer passengers, so the trains are unprofitable except between key locations. Europe and Japan treat rail as core infrastructure, not an alternative.

Land acquisition and lawsuits make it hard for railroads to calculate costs. Project delays increase the costs exponentially with long environmental reviews, property challenges and political opposition the whole way. As a result, U.S. infrastructure projects are slower, more legally complex and far more expensive per mile than peers.

It's ironic that the U.S. invented much of the rail technology that is used around the world today. What's lacking may simply be political will. When you look at the numbers--most Amtrak routes are losing money--it's probably easier for leaders to say, "This is not my fight. I've got too many other irons in the fire." 

Without a visionary, projects perish.

Related Link: That Used To Be Us