High-speed rail in the United States

High-speed rail in the United States dates back to the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965. Various state and federal proposals have followed. Despite being one of the world's first countries to get high-speed trains, they are still limited to the East Coast and the Midwest of the United States. Definitions of what constitutes high-speed rail vary. Though some institutions classify high-speed rail as trains with speeds over, the United States Department of Transportation defines high-speed rail as trains with a top speed of and above. Inter-city rail with top speeds between is referred to in the United States as higher-speed rail, though some states choose to define high-speed rail with top speeds above. The New York Times and Al Jazeera, however, do not consider the United States to have any high-speed rail.
Amtrak's Acela, operating between Washington, DC and Boston, MA, is North America's fastest high-speed rail service, reaching on a total of of track along the Northeast Corridor. Between Washington, DC and New York City, the Acela operates at an average speed of. NextGen Acela reaches top speeds of on of its route.
The Times said the NexGen Acela was "not, however, meaningfully faster, and still lag far behind high-speed rail in countries like China, Japan and France, where trains can surpass 200 mph." Speeds are limited by the age of the Northeast Corridor's infrastructure and catenary wires.
Amtrak's Northeast Regional service, while slower than the Acela, reaches a top speed of on some portions of its route, with an average speed of more than. With more than 12 million riders in 2025, the Northeast Regional is Amtrak's most popular high-speed train.
In total, Amtrak's high-speed services achieved a historical ridership of about 22 million passengers, 64% of Amtrak's total ridership in 2025.
Florida's Brightline is the first privately owned high-speed rail company in the United States. Brightline trains achieve a top speed of along of newly built track, though most of the route is limited to a top speed of due to the presence of grade crossings, with speeds at or less in urban areas.
Brightline West, another venture of Brightline, is currently under construction between the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in the Greater Los Angeles area. Trains will reach a top speed of and service is expected to begin in September 2029.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is working on the California High-Speed Rail project, connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Construction is underway on sections traversing the Central Valley, though no track had been laid as of late 2025. The Central Valley section of the California High-Speed Rail, between Merced and Bakersfield, will have a maximum speed of and is planned to begin passenger service by 2030.

List of high-speed intercity trains in the United States

All trains are operated by Amtrak, with the exception of Brightline. Trains with top speeds of are also included.

Service name	Route	Top speed	Average speed	Route Length	High Speed Line / Section	Equipment Type	Notes
Acela	Washington, DC–Boston, MA	Acela Express trainset: Avelia Liberty trainset:			Northeast Corridor	Electric trainset
Northeast Regional	Washington, DC–Boston, MA, and other routes				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Brightline	Miami, FL–Orlando, FL				Florida East Coast Railway, Brightline	Diesel-electric trainset
Keystone Service	New York, NY–Harrisburg, PA				Philadelphia–Harrisburg Main Line, Northeast Corridor	Electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Pennsylvanian	New York, NY–Pittsburgh, PA				Philadelphia–Harrisburg Main Line, Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Carolinian	New York, NY–Charlotte, NC				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Vermonter	Washington, DC–St. Albans, VT				New Haven–Springfield Line, Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Valley Flyer	New Haven, CT–Greenfield, MA				New Haven–Springfield Line	Diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Amtrak ''Hartford Line	New Haven, CT–Springfield, MA				New Haven–Springfield Line	Diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Empire Service	New York, NY–Niagara Falls, NY				Empire Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Maple Leaf	New York, NY–Toronto, ON				Empire Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Ethan Allen Express	New York, NY–Burlington, VT				Empire Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Adirondack	New York, NY–Montreal, QC				Empire Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches

Service name	Route	Top speed	Average speed	Route Length	Equipment Type	High Speed Line / Section	Notes
Pacific Surfliner''	San Diego, CA–San Luis Obispo, CA				Diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches	Coast Line	Generally defined as higher-speed rail'

List of high-speed long-distance trains in the United States

All high-speed long-distance trains have sleeping cars, with the exception of the Palmetto. All trains are operated by Amtrak.

Service name	Route	Top speed	Average speed	Route Length	High Speed Line / Section	Equipment Type	Notes
	New York, NY–Savannah, GA				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
	New York, NY–Miami, FL				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
	New York, NY–New Orleans, LA				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
	New York, NY–Chicago, IL				Northeast Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
	New York, NY–Chicago, IL Boston, MA–Chicago, IL				Empire Corridor	Electric/diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches
Texas Eagle	Chicago, IL–San Antonio, TX Chicago, IL–Los Angeles, CA				Union Pacific	Diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches	Generally defined as higher-speed rail'
Southwest Chief	Chicago, IL–Los Angeles, CA				BNSF, Amtrak	Diesel-electric locomotive-hauled coaches	Generally defined as higher-speed rail'

List of high-speed commuter trains in the United States

List of High-speed rail lines in the United States

Definitional issues

Authorities in the United States maintain various definitions of high-speed rail. The United States Department of Transportation, an entity in the executive branch, defines it as rail service with top speeds ranging from or higher.
For transportation planning purposes focusing on the development of high-speed rail, the USDOT distinguishes four types of intercity passenger rail corridors:

High-Speed Rail – Express: Frequent, express service between major population centers apart, with few intermediate stops. Top speeds of at least on completely grade-separated, dedicated rights-of-way. Intended to relieve air and highway capacity constraints.
High-Speed Rail – Regional: Relatively frequent service between major and moderate population centers apart, with some intermediate stops. Top speeds of, grade-separated, with some dedicated and some shared track. Intended to relieve highway and, to some extent, air capacity constraints.
Emerging High-Speed Rail: Developing corridors of, with strong potential for future HSR Regional and/or Express service. Top speeds of up to on primarily shared track, with advanced grade crossing protection or separation. Intended to develop the passenger rail market, and provide some relief to other modes.
Conventional Rail: Traditional intercity passenger rail services of more than 100 miles with as little as one to as many as 7–12 daily frequencies; may or may not have strong potential for future high-speed rail service. Top speeds of up to to as high as generally on shared track. Intended to provide travel options and to develop the passenger rail market for further development in the future.

Other entities within the federal government have adopted yet more definitions. In rail funding legislation, the United States Congress has variously defined high-speed rail as services that are "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour" or "reasonably expected to reach speeds of at least 110 miles per hour". The Federal Railroad Administration has eschewed speed-based definitions entirely, proffering that high-speed rail is any service "that is time-competitive with air and/or auto for travel markets in the approximate range of 100 to 500 miles".
State-level departments of transportation and council of governments may also use different definitions for high-speed rail. For examples, the North Central Texas Council of Governments uses the definition of speeds over, and the Texas Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation use speeds of or more. These agencies have a separate category for higher-speed rail which can be a wide range of speeds between and.