A Bill to invest $205bn into a new high-speed rail network across the US has been introduced to Congress by two Democrat lawmakers.
The lawmakers say the plan to invest $41bn a year for five years would attract another $38bn in private funding to build a nationwide rail network.
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Representative Seth Moulton first published his “national high-speed rail plan” in 2020, which now forms the basis of the proposed Bill. This plan outlined 34 high-speed rail projects “ready for funding,” some of which have now been funded either privately or by the Department of Transportation as part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure funding law.
The outline of the Bill emphasises the intended impact on shifting US passenger transit from aviation to rail, by “prioritizing high-speed rail grants for regions not serviced by the aviation industry or where the government subsidizes aviation routes”.
The massive network extension plan is intended to connect “economic megaregions… to increase productivity and global competitiveness.”
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It aims to build the manufacturing and steel industries and is clearly designed with China’s growth in mind.
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By GlobalData“Making America more competitive with China’s use of high-speed rail in its Belt and Road Initiative; and Creating of new American industries, such as manufacturing and high-grade steel production, even in communities that are far from the proposed new transportation corridors,” were given as benefits of the potential new law.
The full text of the proposed law is not yet available online.
“This legislation marks a transformative step toward creating a more connected, sustainable, and prosperous future for all Americans,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene.
“By investing in a national high-speed rail network, we are not only alleviating strain on our highways and airports and creating safer communities, but we are also strengthening productivity and lowering carbon emissions,” she added as she co-signed the Bill.
However the Bill is unlikely to be made law, as its first hurdle of passing the House of Representatives which is currently controlled by a Republican Party majority of six.
