EDIT: We originally described Brightline as “high-speed” rail, which is incorrect. Brightline is expected to travel at an average speed of 80 miles per hour. The average definition of high speed rail is between 120 to 160 miles per hour.
Connecting American cities with a high-speed rail network is a hot topic amongst transportation engineers right now. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing connectivity is crucial to a healthy national outlook.
Another high-speed rail project, Brightline, is working on a Miami-Orlando connector but their estimated travel time is three hours.
A recent transportation project, the Hyperloop initiative, was launched by Elon Musk to help arrive at some innovative solutions to the connectivity problem in this country.
Hyperloop One (Facebook | Website), proposed a plan that would create 11 high-speed rail routes to connect 35 U.S. cities, including a route between Miami and Orlando. The estimated commute time for the 257 mile route would be 26 minutes. The pods would need to be traveling at nearly 700 miles an hour.
“We don’t sell cars, boats, trains, or planes. We sell time.” – Josh Giegel, Hyperloop One President of Engineering
The other routes include; Colorado Springs to Denver, A Rocky Mountain route, Portland to Seattle, Reno to Vegas, Cheyenne to Houston, Columbus to Pittsburgh, Boston to Somerset, Kansas City to Columbia, and Dallas to Austin.
The impact of a high speed transportation network, like Hyperloop, on access to jobs and affordable housing could be staggering.
Hyperloop One is building a test track facility in the Nevada desert to test for a proposed network in Dubai. They’re also looking to launch in Russia.
