A new map shows the planned high-speed rail routes of AmeriStarRail, a private sector company proposing to partner with Amtrak to transform rail travel in the Northeast United States.
The company plans to introduce 160-mph high-speed trains using Amtrak tracks and stations, offering "Triple-Class" service with coach, business, and first-class seating, modeled after systems like France's TGV and Japan's bullet trains.
This map shows the routes it proposes operating:
The "Northeast Corridor Core Route," marked in blue, stretches from Alexandria, Virginia, to Boston, Massachusetts, passing through key cities like Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, and Providence.
Additional proposed routes for AmeriStarRail routes on the Northeast Corridor, highlighted in red, include Alexandria to Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Newark to Hoboken, New Jersey.
Other connections would link New York City to Ronkonkoma and Albany, New York, and extend from New Haven, Connecticut, to Brunswick, Maine, via Springfield, Boston, and Portland.
In a statement to Newsweek, AmeriStarRail clarified it does not aim to compete with Amtrak but to operate as an affiliated carrier, akin to airline partnership where a larger company runs flights operated by private airlines as affiliated carriers with their own union crews and planes.
Newsweek has contacted Amtrak via email for comment.
AmeriStarRail proposes to finance and maintain a standard fleet of high-speed trains while paying Amtrak track usage and station service fees to ensure reliability and on-time performance.
Scott R. Spencer, AmeriStarRail's chief operating officer, told Newsweek the plan will "grow ridership and market share" while providing coach passengers equitable access to high-speed rail.
Unlike Amtrak's current high-speed Acela service, which only accommodates business and first-class passengers, AmeriStarRail proposes including coach seating for affordability.
The company said its trains would include amenities like free Wi-Fi, compartment seating, and seat-side food service, with promotional offers such as free travel for two children under 18 per adult.
AmeriStarRail's ambitions echo European trends where competitive high-speed rail services have increased ridership and reduced fares.
Federal Rail Involvement Under Donald Trump
President-elect Donald Trump and his nominated transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, will face big decisions about the future of federal funding for high-speed rail in the U.S., following investments under the Biden administration.
Spencer told Newsweek the firm was looking forward to working with the incoming administration.
"AmeriStarRail is looking forward to working with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary nominee Rep. Sean Duffy and President Trump on improving Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service, with private sector innovation," Spencer said.
Given Trump's promise to reduce federal spending, high-speed rail projects may not receive the same level of funding they have received from the Biden administration.
The 2021 Infrastructure Law allocated funding for projects including the privately operated Brightline West project, connecting Las Vegas and Southern California, and California's state operated high-speed rail project.
However, in August, Trump did praise Japan's bullet trains, possibly implying he could support such projects in the U.S.
He said: "They go unbelievably fast, unbelievably comfortable with no problems, and we don't have anything like that in this country. Not even close. And it doesn't make sense that we don't, doesn't make sense."
During his first administration, Trump proposed increasing the number of public-private partnerships for infrastructure, suggesting he might support a firm like AmeriStarRail entering the developing high-speed rail sector.
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