The new Acela II trainsets enter service soon, Train Daddy takes on New York Penn Station, and California High Speed Rail could be headed for more trouble. All this and more in the latest, riveting episode of Stew's News.
Stew's News is an examination of high speed rail news in the United States. It is meant mainly for true high speed projects, intended to meet or exceed 150mph. These currently include California High Speed Rail or CAHSR, Brightline West, Acela on the Northeast Corridor, Texas Central Railway, Dallas Fort Worth High Speed Transportation, Cascadia Ultra High Speed Rail, HSR Atlanta to Charlotte, and now and Illinois High Speed Rail. I will also cover news for higher speed rail, meeting or exceeding 110mph, such as Brightline in Florida, the Keystone Corridor, and Atlanta to Savannah
This is a monthly series, published on the first of the month, so be sure to check back every month for your Stew's News!
If you'd like to join the continuing conversation, check out The Stew Crue Discord channel: https://discord.gg/cx8ZVTC8qj
Image Attribution:
"Briarcliff Manor Amtrak P32DM 707"
by Lexcie
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
"An eastbound Blue Line MetroLink train on the Cross County Extension near Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
by Lightmetro
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
"Eads Bridge in Saint Louis, MO. U.S.A. showing MetroLink light rail train on lower deck. Light posts for the upper two-lane automobile deck can be seen along the upper rail."
by William Rosmus
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
Transit Costs Project Links
"How to Build High-Speed Rail on the Northeast Corridor"
https://transitcosts.com/north-east-corridor-report/#infra
"Momentum"
https://transitcosts.com/wp-content/uploads/Momentum-V2a3-Ch1-12.pdf
Chapters:
0:00 Hey, It's Your Old Pal Lucid Stew Again
0:13 Acela and the Northeast Corridor
6:20 Chicago Hub Network
8:20 Texas Central
8:52 California High Speed Rail
12:57 Brightline West
13:27 Brightline Florida
14:18 Transit Costs Project
15:45 Stew's Boo Boos
16:15 Thanks and Up Next
16:43 See You On That Big, Beautiful Freeway!
References:
https://abc7ny.com/post/former-nyct-president-andy-byford-tapped-trump-administration-oversee-penn-station-redevelopment-project/16530747/
https://www.transportation.gov/newsroom/press-releases
https://gothamist.com/news/daddys-home-andy-byford-to-make-nyc-return-for-penn-station-remake-white-house-says
https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/transportation/elon-musk-boring-company-amtrak-TBIZNO7C2RCI3OPMIDAOFZBETE/
https://www.marylandbids.com/bid_opportunities/2025/05/13/page/2/
https://x.com/GatewayProgNews
https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/Amtrak.pdf
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/55293307/amtrak-amtrak-kicks-off-first-long-term-track-outage-for-east-river-tunnel-rehabilitation-project
https://www.mta.info/document/174331
https://railroads.dot.gov/federal-state-partnership-intercity-passenger
https://www.facebook.com/WalkBridgeCT/
https://www.njtransit.com/portal
https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/us-railroad-amtrak-cutting-450-positions-100-million-annual-costs-2025-05-07/
https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/transportation-management/planning/rail/high-speed-rail-commission.html
https://coveringkaty.com/news/waller/texas-high-speed-rail-transparency-bill-passes-legislature-n/
https://www.kxxv.com/brazos/debate-over-high-speed-rail-in-texas-speeds-up-as-legislation-seeks-transparency
https://www.kcra.com/article/california-high-speed-rails-budget-gap-bakersfield-merced/64814770
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article306402466.html
https://hsr.ca.gov/
https://brightlinewest.com/
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/high-speed-train-project-chugs-ahead-as-3-billion-in-nevada-funding-gets-ok/
https://www.gobrightline.com/
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2025/04/14/brightline-florida-commuters-doesnt-reinstate-pass/82780521007/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-18/florida-s-high-speed-brightline-cuts-2024-ridership-projections-by-600-000
#highspeedrail #highspeedtrain #railroad #transit #train #news