Money and Speed: What to Expect from St. Louis to Chicago High Speed Rail

{Europe and the US offer vastly different challenges to building HSR}

When discussing high-speed rail (HSR) we should first answer this question: how fast does it need to go to call it HSR? In the US, a speed of 110 MPH has been designated HSR whereas in Europe 156 MPH is used as a benchmark. This is called HSR-Express in USDOT lingo. When we look back at the golden age of steam engine-powered locomotives we will find that trains in the 1940’s already traveled at speeds of 110 MPH and even faster. Achieving these speeds again today, feels like a “Back to the Future” moment.

Why not be a little more ambitious and use the standard of 156 MPH as a minimum for high-speed rail? Trains that fast have been operated successfully in Europe since the early 80’s and presently the majority of European high-speed trains travel at speeds in excess of 187 MPH.