🇺🇸 美国

The United States has a limited passenger rail network relative to its size, with Amtrak as the national intercity operator subsidized by the federal government. Amtrak serves over 500 stations in 46 states, with the Northeast Corridor (NEC) being by far the busiest: the Acela Express reaches 240 km/h between Washington DC and Boston, covering the DC-New York leg in 2h45m and New York-Boston in 3h30m. Outside the NEC, most Amtrak trains operate at conventional speeds on freight-owned track where passenger trains are legally given lower priority, causing frequent delays. Long-distance Amtrak trains serve iconic cross-country routes: the California Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco, 51h), the Empire Builder (Chicago to Seattle, 46h), the Southwest Chief (Chicago to Los Angeles, 40h), and the Coast Starlight (Seattle to Los Angeles, 35h). These trains offer Superliner sleeping cars with roomettes and bedrooms, a dining car, and a sightseeing lounge. They are more tourism than commuter-focused, and delays of several hours are common. Several states and regions have developed commuter rail networks independent of Amtrak: MBTA (Boston), Metro-North/LIRR/NJ Transit (New York area), SEPTA (Philadelphia), MARC/VRE (Washington DC), Metra (Chicago), BART/Caltrain (San Francisco), and Metrolink (Los Angeles). The Brightline private operator runs Florida services and is expanding. High-speed rail projects in California and the Northeast face persistent funding and regulatory challenges.