The State of High-Speed Rail in the U.S.
In a world where high-speed rail is a common mode of transportation, the United States finds itself lagging in the race for efficient rail systems. Despite the potential for transformative travel solutions, high-speed rail initiatives in the U.S. have been plagued by soaring costs and delays. This episode of “60 Minutes” delves into the current landscape of high-speed rail projects across the nation, exploring the challenges faced by both public and private sectors.
From ambitious plans to the often harsh reality, the segment examines why America hasn’t been able to replicate the seamless rail networks enjoyed by other countries. Through insightful investigative reporting and powerful interviews, “60 Minutes” sheds light on what could be a major evolution in how Americans travel.
Catch the full story and grapple with the complexities surrounding the future of high-speed rail in the U.S. Tune into “60 Minutes” for an in-depth analysis, and join the conversation about potential advancements in transportation infrastructure that could redefine mobility for millions.
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Video “The state of high-speed rail in the U.S.” was uploaded on 04/06/2026 to Youtube Channel 60 Minutes



































Just let China build it.
Yet no one blames Gavin.
Democrat-run states are highly receptive to corruption.
The guy on the left is smirking since he knows they are lying.
Did anyone really think a major construction project in CA would be on time and within budget? Only the fools.
Sadly billions of precious dollars have down the drains.
There's that very specific natural resource in the equation $$
It’s not typical in North America because we do not have the population density to support the higher costs of HSR. It’s a expensive mirage 😊
Thats why you need pass the test to be a politican and step by step be the president
To me the reason high speed rail will fail in California is because the major cities do not have infrastructure to support a high speed rail system. In other words when one gets to its destination a person may have to rent a car and still create traffic. Money should have been spent to increase public transportation within those large cities.
He said he didn't think the voters understood what it was going to take to get the project done. Well you told us the cost, the system's capabilities, and the project's completion year in the voting material. It was not unclear at all. But the reality of all three of those aspects of the project are now exponentially different than what you sold us. Don't infer that we "didn't understand". That's just another government bureaucrat casting blame. Let's be very clear. This is what it was always meant to be – buying lifelong votes from labor unions and local businesses that will benefit from the project.
By the way – I hope everyone caught the basic numbers. Sold to the voters as a $33 billion project, now projected at $ 123 b. And it never came up for a revote when the numbers skyrocketed. The corruption is mind-boggling.
I think its hilarious whenever the government gets our money it just disappears with no results.
There's Only 79 Miles Of Speed Rail Track from SAN Francisco to San Jose and A Gap 90 MILES to Madera Track 90 Miles to Wasco Progress only Happeneds if You Build 40 Miles of Track and Run Trains And Sell Tickets is How it Works 100 Years AGO As Profits Come In You Add More Track DUH.
What happened to Texas Central?
The USA is a MASSIVE country and cities are very far apart. We're not tightly packed Europe, which had existing steam trains to build High Speed rail next to. Given our size, distance between cities, lack of walkability once in those cities, and property rights, High speed rail does not make sense here.
The slow build of high speed rail in ca. it will go 55 mph in most area their just paying the unions for their votes most workers will retire on this job.
That farmer is smarter than these people
Dig a canal and use high speed boats or maybe airplanes that’s right we have airplanes in less than an hour
Blue corruption.
It's Going To Be $Trillion Not The $10 Billions like Democrats Predict 😂😂😂
How does Spain, Italy and Morocco have this while Northeast still doesn’t. it’s wild.
"Can America still build big things?"
Sure, just not in California. Don't lump the rest of us in with that clown show.
When you have the world's most well-developed and connected aviation network, you don't really need a national HSR network. It kind of defeats the purpose of it.
Time; 17 years and only 50% completed,
Yes, thanks to the lawyers and corruption blocking it. What has been done so far could have been possible in 7/8 years.
Yes! The worst is over, the train is the future and present of all countries, it’s NOT an expense, it’s an investment for the whole country and especially for the regions it crosses.
135 billion:
100 billion to pay lawyers, land, and corruption,
30 billion for the bridges and roads that cross the tracks, and
5 billion for the train.
HIgh speed rail will not work due to the math of simple demographics. Not to mention the incompetence of California government.
It is an absolute lie to say it will only cost $125 billion, it is not projected to be over $200 billion.
US politicians just dont have incentive to fund projects that are likely to be completed outside of their elected periods. This is why Biden’s infrastructure bill was so surprising. It provided funds for various projects around the country that required funding for infrastructure upkeep that is continuing to be done today, years, after his presidency.
I'll be an old man by the time it's done….
What transportation project happened on time and on budget in the United States that has anything to do with political ties? We need high speed rail. It's going to take forever to get the right aways because people are going to try to get as much as they can from the government. Which is understandable.
F*** the fact that all those other countries have high-speed rail. This is America.
bad politics in California, they cant get anything done.sigh
They should have built it to San Diego first.
L.A to S.D is small enough to get over the learning curve and big enough to be useful.
The United States built its' "High Speed Rail" during the 19th Century. 1820 to 1900. Traveling across the United States before the building of the intercontinental railroads took MONTHS. In the 1870's, after the completion of the first intercontinental railroads, people could travel from New York to San Francisco in SEVEN DAYS. By 1900, the United States had one third of the rail trackage in the world. The main problem is that the US rail system was built for slow steam driven trains, not trains going 200 miles an hour. The US rail system is still fine for freight trains because they don't go so fast and can be miles long. Passenger rail is an entirely different matter. The entire US rail network would have to be rebuilt for modern high speed rail.
FYI: Since California's boondoggle project began in 2008, China has completed on the order of 30,000 miles (yes, 30K) of high-speed rail lines. Full lines, with bridges, stations, and trains running. I have seen a lot of these videos now, it is either high speed trans running over fields, made with AI, or shots of actual work sites where you see maybe a dozen people working in areas hundreds of yards wide in every direction. Not surprising it has barely moved in years!
why don’t you build a high-speed rail next with the freeway above ground so there is no car traffic getting in the way with the rail system and then you guys already owned the freeway properties
I don't care how much of a sunk cost it is, finish the rail!