U.S. Congress members introduce national high-speed rail proposal

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new congressional bill introduced this month calls for billions of dollars of investments into high-speed rail access across the United States.

U.S. Representatives Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts) and Suzan DelBene (D-Washington) introduced March 8 H.R.7600, dubbed the American High-Speed Rail Act. The bill proposes a $205 billion investment into high-speed rail operations, with the hopes of creating at least 2.6 million American jobs over the course of a five-year period.

When announcing the bill, Moulton cited safety and environmental factors as motivation behind the proposal.

“High-speed rail is faster, cleaner, safer, and better for our economy. It will connect people to more jobs in new places, give Americans freedom and choice in how they travel, and put us on par with the rest of the world. This bill is the plan that will get us there. We spend vast amounts of money subsidizing planes, which are delayed by weather, and roads, which are crumbling nationwide. We have the chance to think big and think differently. Let’s not waste the opportunity.”

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06)

Features of the proposed national high-speed rail system include:

• $41 billion investment into higher-speed and high-speed rail via grants provided by the Federal Railroad Administration
• Emphasizing evaluation of high-speed rail grant applicants on the basis of "equity, resilience, sustainability, economic development potential and climate"
• Giving priority to regions without aviation industry service access "or where the government subsidizes aviation routes"

Moulton previously introduced a version of the American High-Speed Rail Act during the 117th Congress in 2021-22, where it stalled following a referral to Congress' Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials.

Here in Texas, local, regional and state leaders have diverted stronger attention on advocating for improved rail services statewide. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) noted in a statement to KXAN Tuesday high-speed rail services have succeeded elsewhere globally, but expressed disappointment in slower progress in both Texas and the U.S.

"Too often we cannot get where we need to go, when we need to go because our transportation policies favor so much more funding for highways and so very little for railways," Doggett said in the release. "The I-35 corridor is a leading example where high-speed rail could really make a difference with a quicker, cleaner way of getting from here to there. Europe and Asia are way ahead on rail, while unfortunately, Texas is an American laggard."

In late November, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson traveled to Washington, D.C. called for federal leaders to allocate funding toward new high-speed Amtrak rail service in Texas.

“Amtrak was given a great deal of money, $66 billion over the next few years, which is frankly, more money than Amtrak has received since it was created back in 1972,” Watson said at the time.

Ultimately, the Austin-Travis County region struck out on receiving funding for passenger rail expansion efforts, with funding distributed elsewhere in the state.

Elsewhere in Texas, Amtrak is working to bring back the Texas Central bullet train, CNBC reported Monday. The Texas Central initiative dates back to 2014, where a group first attempted to link Dallas and Houston via a bullet train that would travel upwards of 200 miles per hour.

In August 2023, Amtrak announced with Texas Central on the high-speed endeavor, specifically noting both Dallas and Houston's bustling metropolitan regions and needs for broadened transportation access.