Transportation Throughout United States Will Catch Up to Rest of World in Near Future

There are a lot of positives to high-speed rails that the United States is missing out on. Around the world, other countries have been using them for years, taking advantage of the benefits they provide.

Not only are travel times faster for people on the move, but they are better for the environment. The more high-speed rails, the less gas-guzzling cars that are being driven, causing traffic and jamming up roads.

Air travel in some cases can cause a lot of pollution. Giving people another form of travel could cut down on the number of planes flying every day to cause less damage to the environment as well.

While the United States is currently being lapped in the high-speed rail department, strides are being made to close that gap, as shared by Sophia Rocha of The Cool Down.

Last month, it was revealed that the Nevada Department of Transportation provided a huge federal grant for a project that will connect Las Vegas to southern California via high-speed rails.

That isn’t the only high-speed rail plans that are being put into place. In Texas, the goal is to have something connecting from Dallas to Houston that will turn what can be a 3.5-hour drive into a trip that takes about 90 minutes.

Discussions have been had between Amtrak and the Japanese government, with N700S Series Shinkansen cars being the topic of discussion because of the incredible track record with safety they possess.

If the project is successful, more than 12,500 cars are expected to be removed from Interstate 45 on a daily basis, greatly cutting down on pollution and slashing traffic.

In California, Apple Valley and Palmdale will be connected via the High Desert Corridor High-Speed Rail Project. Down the line, this will also include Brightline West, which is the Las Vegas connection.

The biggest obstacle is to ensure safety traveling through deserts where high temperatures and and winds could cause issues.

On the East Coast, plans are in motion that will go from North Carolina to Virginia. The time would be about the same as it would take to drive, two hours and 45 minutes, but another hour is added to that with current rails.

The section between Raliegh and Wake Forest has already had construction begin.

Two of the most popular cities in the country to visit, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are going to be connected soon as well. This ride will be cut in half, as a six-hour ride, sometimes longer with traffic, will be completed in under three.

No timetable for construction to start has been revealed, but environmental documentation is expected to be completed within the next year.

Last but not least, in the midwest there are plans to connect Chicago, Illinois with St. Louis, Missouri. Travel time would be cut in half between the major cities, which is always a positive for travelers.

Construction isn’t close to being started, but the Midwest is a perfect location for such a high-speed rail because of how many major cities there are within driving distance of each other. Congestion on the roads and within the cities themselves would lessen with another fast, safe and environmentally-conscious travel option existing.