May 14, 2019 - governing.com -

A new era of passenger rail in the United States may finally be on the way, according to high-speed rail advocates. Despite the Trump administration's recent move to yank federal funding from California’s long-troubled high-speed rail venture, that project and others like it are quickly moving from drawing-board concepts to physical reality.

By the end of this year, the country may have as many as three new passenger railroad systems under construction, each promising fast service between cities in just a few years. The projects in California, Florida and Texas differ quite a bit from one another in size, scope and funding sources. But each one of those projects seems to be moving forward despite significant obstacles, something many rail proponents see as as a promising sign.

“This seems to be the convergence of a lot of things, all bubbling up at the same time,” says Andy Kunz, the CEO of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association.

Read more: https://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-high-speed-rail-projects-California-Texas-Florida.html