User:PrecipiceofDuck/sandbox 19
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The Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) or Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project to increase the frequency, reliability and speed of intercity rail services along multiple routes in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The primary segment spans approximately 448 miles (721 km) from Washington, D.C. through Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh to Charlotte, North Carolina, largely paralleling Interstates 85 and 95.[1][2] Additional segments on the corridor extend from Richmond to Virginia's Hampton Roads region; Charlotte to Atlanta; Atlanta to Macon, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida, and Raleigh to Jacksonville via Columbia, South Carolina and Savannah.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Amtrak provides intercity rail service to most cities along the corridor (with the exception of Macon), using tracks primarily owned or operated by freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) also provides commuter rail service between Washington D.C. and the suburbs of Northern Virginia. Slower freight train operations, as well as the typical maximum speed of 79 mph (127 km/h) along these tracks are described as contributing to delays among passenger trains in the region and travel times not competitive with airlines or driving.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The city of Washington D.C. and the states of Virginia and North Carolina will incrementally upgrade this segment to support top speeds between 90–110 mph (140–180 km/h), known as higher-speed rail, through improvements to existing railroad rights-of-way such as additional tracks, straightening curves and improving or eliminating grade-crossings with the goal of reducing trip times between Washington and Charlotte from 9.5 to 7.25 hours,[16] at a cost of several billion dollars[note 1]. The states of Virginia and North Carolina created an Interstate High-Speed Rail Compact Commission consisting of leaders from both states to review planning for the initial segment.[16][17]
Projects over the additional segments of the corridor are in various stages of planning and environmental review undertaken by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the respective states. Despite the project name, the proposed train speeds of 90–110 mph (140–180 km/h) over the Washington D.C.-Charlotte segment will not meet commonly-held international standards for high-speed rail, leading to the North Carolina Department of Transportation rebranding the project as the higher-speed "Southeast Corridor". However, other corridor segments are studying options comparable to international high-speed rail.[11][12] Most Amtrak routes on the Southeast Corridor continue onto the existing high-speed Northeast Corridor between Washington D.C., New York City and Boston, reaching speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h).[18][19]