The Future of Trains
As the United States gears up for Thanksgiving and its busiest travel week of the year, might high-speed trains get people where they're going faster in the near future?
![U.S. High-Speed Rail Projects Aim to Catch Up [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/66DE66C8-27CC-48A8-BDA22D479E18EB8F_agenda.jpg?w=380&h=213&fit=crop)
U.S. High-Speed Rail Projects Aim to Catch Up [Slide Show]
The Obama administration will make up to $13 billion available for high-speed railroad projects across the nation, which lags far behind the fast railways of Asia and Europe
Will Federal Stimulus Money Spark a High-Speed Rail Renaissance in the U.S.?
The drive for energy conservation coupled with the recession has the U.S. switching policy tracks with its push to develop a high-speed rail transportation network. But does it have enough engineering expertise to do it right?
Can America's Trains Go High-Speed?
The government is pushing for it, but are high speed trains even possible in the U.S.? David Biello reports
All Aboard the Eco-Express: Rail's Hybrid Energy Solutions
Green transportation is gaining momentum on U.S. railways
Almost on Time: High-Speed Trains in the U.S.
After many delays, Amtrak is launching its new Acela service
High-speed rail getting on track in the U.S.
President Obama outlined his vision today for high-speed rail service in the U.S, identifying 10 corridors in heavily populated regions around the country – from the Pacific northwest to the gulf states – for the laying of hundreds of miles of new tracks.
U.S. infrastructure crumbling
The nation's roads, bridges, levees, schools, water supply and other infrastructure are in such bad shape that it would take $2.2 trillion over five years to bring them up to speed.
Planes, trains or automobiles? Air travel may be no worse for the environment than rail
Jet-setters get a bad rap for their role in spewing greenhouse gases into the upper atmosphere, but a new study says that flying is really no worse for the environment than taking the train.
![Why the Oil Crisis Will Persist [Extended Version]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/1684D9C1-BF94-403A-B34DAC28B6CFCF3A_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Why the Oil Crisis Will Persist [Extended Version]
With global demand for cars accelerating, the best approach is to redesign cars and transport systems
Moving Americans toward Train Transportation
What can be done to shift more travelers over to American rail lines from cars and planes?
Will Global Warming Melt the Permafrost Supporting the China-Tibet Railway?
This crucial line of transportation crosses the Tibetan Plateau, parts of which are barely below freezing. Will any added warmth--either from climate change or the railway itself--destabilize the track's frozen foundation?
High Hopes for High-Speed Rail
Will a boom in government investment bring true high-speed rail to the U.S.?