Even as UK Cancels HS2, High-Speed Rail Projects Around the World Increase

Completed lines in the U.S. and Asia show the importance of adhering to budget.

Despite Britain’s cancellation of the northern part of its London-based High Speed 2 (HS2), numerous high-speed rail (HSR) projects in cities around the world are moving forward. The goals of these projects include connecting new cities, modernizing existing systems, reducing severe traffic jams and addressing climate change.

A HSR train is generally defined as one that travels over 200 km/h (124 mph). Amtrak’s Acela qualifies under this definition as it reaches 150 mph (240 km/h) on part of its route between Washington, DC and Boston. Projects finished in fall 2023 include Brightline, a private rail line that connects Orlando and Miami; and WHOOSH, Indonesia’s first high-speed rail, which links Jakarta to Bandung, a tourist destination.

Work currently underway includes westward extension of the Réseau Express Régional (RER E) in France and the growth of the HSR system in China. Other projects of note include the purchase of trains for the California HSR; the construction of tunnels for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor in India; and a revamp of the HSR service along the Northeast Corridor, which stretches between Boston and Washington, D.C. Areas interested in HSR include Dallas-Fort Worth Las Vegas, which would like to connect a future line to Los Angeles.

Countries with high-speed rail projects operational (blue) and those with systems under construction (red). Image: Wikipedia.

All of the projects mean more opportunities for civil engineers and mechanical engineers who are involved with rail travel, as well as companies that supply engineering and design software for the rolling stock and infrastructure, such as Siemens and Bentley Systems. AI and digital twins help to maximize efficiency and reliability. The key to seeing projects completed is estimating a budget correctly and ensuring the national government has enough money to accommodate delays and small to midsize cost overruns.

In the United States, HSRs are moving forward because of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) award of over $1.4 billion for 70 rail improvement projects. The FRA provided the funds in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. France, Germany and Italy are also doing well in managing funding of HSR lines. France is particularly excited about its expansion because it saw record ridership in summer 2023, especially to the country’s coastal regions. This raises the question of why the UK canceled HS2 and what the shift away from HSR means for the nation.

In early October, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that HS2 would not be extended to Manchester, Britain because costs for the project rose considerably. The change has cut HS2 to half of its original length. Substantial overruns for the light rail line were a result of the need for the construction of noise barriers; long tunnels, particularly under the Chilterns; a remediation of problems caused by environmental groups; and discoveries of asbestos and archaeological remains. In addition, the British government greatly underestimated the price of buying expensive property in metropolitan areas like West London, where it needed to acquire land to construct the line. It also underestimated the number of gas and power lines it had to divert and costs for building bridges and stations. Lastly, in the early years of the project, companies contracted to perform the work carried the risk for the work. Now contractors are not required to carry the risk.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the British government experienced delays for HS2 that were related to the public health emergency. Over the past 2 years, inflation, global conflict and supply chain disruptions have added to HS2’s costs. Sunak said that some of the money saved by not building HS2 up to Manchester will be used to build light rail and tram systems between cities in Northern England.

The cut to HS2 reveals what California and states in the Northeast Corridor should watch for when developing their HSRs. As of fall 2023, these states are facing a different concern. The new Acela trains for the Northeast Corridor, which are manufactured by Alstom, are failing safety tests. There have been reports of glass windows spontaneously shattering and water draining between railcars. The water corrodes the parts that hook the cars together. As California considers prebids on its trains from Hyundai, Alstom and Siemens, it is seeking to avoid the delays that Amtrak is currently experiencing.

Most of the current HSR projects do not involve magnetic levitation (maglev). Maglev trains are currently present only in China, Japan and South Korea. One of the concerns for this type of technology is that the trains are so fast—around 621 mph—that project managers are worried about passenger and infrastructure safety. There may also be a high cost for maglev tracks, stations and related infrastructure.

As of fall 2023, China is working on a new maglev train in Harbin. This train will be twice as fast as the Shanghai Maglev, which has a top speed of 286 mph. The track for the Shanghai Maglev is only 19 miles in length. Other countries are likely watching China’s progress on the Harbin project. The idea may be to see how passengers deal with the impacts of rapid accelerations for longer trips.

Over the past 2 years, there has been a shuttering of efforts related to passenger rail lines that would operate within a Hyperloop, a low-pressure underground tube. In 2022, Virgin Hyperloop laid off roughly half its staff due to supply chain issues and COVID-related changes. Last year, it was also observed that SpaceX had built a parking lot where it previously had a Hyperloop test tunnel. Supporters of the Hyperloop are now focused on using rail lines in a hyperloop to carry freight. Although Elon Musk’s Hyperloop-focused business, The Boring Company, is still in operation, its most developed project is the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop system. The three-station system contains 1.7 miles of tunnel in which passengers are transported in Tesla vehicles.

In fall 2023, China launched its first cross-sea HSR. Building the three cross-sea bridges that carry the train from Fuzhou to Xiamen required overcoming numerous challenges. These included high waves, deep water, strong winds and earthquake risk. The rail line crosses an area where there is a great deal of seismic activity. Engineers also had to design the train and cross-sea bridges to withstand the corrosive marine environment.

In total, the railway has 84 bridges and 29 tunnels. The line connects five cities—Fuzhou, the capital city of China’s southeast Fujian Province; Putian; Quanzhou; Zhangzhou; and Xiamen, the last being a tourist destination and an economic hub. The line has cut the travel time between Fuzhou and Xiamen from 80 minutes to just under 60 minutes. The project cost approximately $7.4 billion. It tests the potential of China building a rail line to Taiwan. Taiwan, of course, has rejected the idea.

China hopes the operation of the line will result in more travel and business relationships between Fuzhou and Xiamen. One of the reasons that China engaged in this project is that Xiamen is experiencing more economic growth than other cities. China’s work on the Fuzhou-Xiamen HSR indicates that traditional concepts for HSR construction are viable and could be profitable for other countries. The extreme efforts it took to complete this project reveal that other countries can address significant engineering challenges with careful planning. 

Corrected October 13, 2013: Removed mentions of light rail.