A train could go from New York to LA in one workday
Japan launched the Shinkansen for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, proving that trains could move people at speeds once reserved for airplanes. Today, high-speed trains regularly travel over 300 km/h, while maglev systems can float above the track and theoretically reach up to 600 km/h. That could make a New York-to-Los Angeles train trip possible in about seven hours, but the obstacles are huge: air resistance, energy use, cost, safety, and the need for long, straight tracks through mountains, cities, and crowded land. The future of train travel may be incredibly fast — but building it is the hard part.
2026-08-12T15:16:04Z