It's not easy, after waiting for decades, the first high-speed rail in the United States has officially started!
According to the Associated Press, on April 22, local time, the Los Angeles-Las Vegas high-speed railway "Western Bright Line" officially started, which is the first real high-speed rail in the history of the United States.
With a total length of 351 kilometers and a design speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the line has a total investment of $12 billion and is scheduled to be completed before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In this regard, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation is even more emotional, after waiting for decades, the dream of high-speed rail in the United States has finally come true!
The American High-Speed Rail Dream
Although more than 100 years ago, the United States was already an "infrastructure maniac", but now, the level of infrastructure is simply miserable.
Not only are the roads badly damaged, the subways are in tatters, and even some states are without power and water at every turn.
According to statistics, nearly a quarter of bridges in the United States have problems, of which 10% are structural defects, 14% are functionally outdated, and more than half of fatal traffic accidents are related to poor road facilities.
There is a saying among American folklore, "The car jumps, New York arrives", which means that when you find that the road is getting worse and worse, and there are more and more potholes, it means that New York is almost here.
Relevant data record that since about the 70s of the last century, the construction of infrastructure in the United States has almost entered a state of stagnation.
Roads, airports, bridges and other facilities are getting older and more old.
Take high-speed rail as an example, although the United States, as the world's number one economic power, covers an area of 9.83 million square kilometers, the development of high-speed rail is relatively backward.
As of 2022, China's high-speed rail operating mileage has exceeded 40,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world.
On the other hand, on the U.S. side, you can't even see the taillights of Chinese cars.
In 2023, Florida will open the first high-speed rail from Miami to Orlando, but the mileage is only 56 kilometers, and the maximum speed is only 200 kilometers.
Strictly speaking, it is not a real high-speed rail.
This is not over, what is even more jaw-dropping is that the high-speed rail hit and killed a pedestrian on the first day of operation, and on the second day, it crashed again, killing 6 people.
Other high-speed railways ask for money, but American high-speed rail is fatal, so I ask if I can stand it?
As for how it hit, let's not study this first.
Anyway, in the process of high-speed rail construction in the United States, there are serious safety risks.
It is worth mentioning that the contractor of this high-speed train in Miami is the American company "Bright line" (Bright line).
The company also has a Miami West Palm train, which has been in operation since 2018 and has killed 98 people on a 112-kilometer partial route.
Almost every month, at least one person is physically ascensed.
What's more interesting is that the parent company of "Light" was acquired by Japan's SoftBank for $3.3 billion in 2017, which means that this is actually a Japanese-owned holding company.
So, do you have to carry this pot on a small day?
Also, when California wanted to build high-speed rail, the original planned high-speed rail project worth $77.3 billion and 826.8 kilometers long was finally cut to 191 kilometers for various reasons.
However, until now, the two parties in the United States are still fighting each other, and the high-speed rail in California was not built in the end.
Why is it so difficult to build high-speed rail in the United States?
Interestingly, even though many U.S. officials have gone to China to experience the convenience of high-speed rail, American fans still try their best to wash the floor for the United States.
They boast that the United States does not need high-speed rail, that high-speed rail is a sign of backwardness, and that dense airports are proof of America's advanced transportation.
In their eyes, the West has it, but China does not, that is the industrial crown, and the West does not, China has, that is a backward industry, and high-speed rail is like this.
And they also give data, for strong proof.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2001 56 percent of Americans who traveled more than 80 kilometers used a private car, 41 percent by airplane, 2 percent by long-distance bus, and only 1 percent by train.
Of course, the opposition of American fans cannot fundamentally affect the decision of the US government.
The most important thing is that the high-speed rail project requires huge financial investment, coupled with many political factors, which leads to frequent disagreements between the two parties in the United States.
To put it mildly, even if the United States has the money to fight a war, it is reluctant to invest in infrastructure construction, which also makes the construction of high-speed rail in the United States difficult.
The first high-speed rail in the United States
Let's talk about the Los Angeles-Las Vegas high-speed rail this time.
It is reported that the project was proposed as early as 2005, with a total length of 430 kilometers, but after the three administrations of George W. Bush, Obama and Trump, it still cannot be put into construction.
But by the Biden administration, things have changed.
On April 24, 2023, members of the Senate and House of Representatives from Nevada and California jointly sent a letter to Biden, saying that this high-speed rail must be built!
After almost 8 months, they finally woke up Sleepy Joe.
On December 8, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden personally traveled to Las Vegas to announce that the federal government had allocated $3 billion in funding for the high-speed rail project.
Then a few more months later, in April 2024, the U.S. government finally announced that the construction of high-speed rail had officially begun, at least the foundation had been excavated.
It is estimated that there is a big factor behind this or that the United States sees that China's high-speed rail is developing too fast and is in a hurry.
In their eyes, the United States is the most technologically powerful country in the entire Blue Star, and there is no reason why high-speed rail is inferior to China.
However, judging from the construction speed and cost of the Americans, it will be miscarried if it is not done well.
The Miami high-speed railway, which killed people before opening to traffic, proposed the project in 2012 and was approved in 2015, and it took 8 years to build it, and it will not be officially opened until 2023.
This time, the Lola high-speed rail (Los Angeles to Las Vegas) is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
From now on, it will only take 4 years, is this enough in terms of the level of infrastructure in the United States?
Moreover, the total investment is only 12 billion US dollars, and I have to add another 0 later.
After all, the fence of three subway stations in the United States used to cost $100 million, and those who didn't know thought that the fence was made of gold, but in fact it was an ordinary one.
By the way, China's Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, with a total length of 1,318 kilometers, is several times longer than the Lola high-speed railway (351 kilometers).
It took only 5 years from the official project to the opening and operation, and the construction time was only 3 years.
You see, there is a speed called Chinese speed!
Therefore, if the United States really wants to complete the Lola high-speed railway on schedule, the most ideal way is to hand over the construction contract to a Chinese company.
end
But for the United States, this is unlikely, after all, starvation is a small matter, and a loss of temperance is a big thing.
On the other hand, of course, China does not have to rush to help the United States build high-speed rail, otherwise, it will not be sitting on the hat of "overcapacity".
Since the United States is determined to be self-reliant, we, as the people who eat melons, should still send a sentence of "I wish it success."
Even if it can't be built in 2028, it will definitely be built by 2128!