Critics have long pointed out that the United States has fallen far behind its international rivals, particularly China, in providing high-speed rail. The U.S. only has about 54 miles of “high-speed” rail, compared with more than 3,000 in Spain, Japan, France and Germany, as well as more than 26,000 miles in operation in China, according to a 2018 report from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Congressional Democrats have made the issue a top priority, with Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) urging the White House to push for very fast trains.
