<P> Plans for high - speed rail in the United States date back to the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 . Various state and federal proposals have followed . Despite being one of the world's first countries to get high - speed trains (the Metroliner service in 1969), it failed to spread . Definitions of what constitutes high - speed rail vary, including a range of speeds over 110 miles per hour and dedicated rail lines . Inter-city rail in the United States with top speeds of 90 mph (145 km / h) or more but below 125 mph (201 km / h) is sometimes referred to as higher - speed rail . The Acela Express (reaching 150 mph), the Northeast Regional and MARC Train (both reaching 125 mph, although MARC only qualifies as such by its express trains) are currently the only services in the country (the Metroliner was discontinued in 2006). </P> <P> There are plans for higher - speed rail and high - speed rail in California, the Midwest, New England, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado / New Mexico, and the Southwestern United States . </P>

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