Welcome to the first issue of This Week in High Speed Rail. Every week we round up the biggest HSR stories from around the world and pull together the best videos from HighSpeedRail.TV. If someone forwarded this to you and you want to keep getting it, subscribe here.
All aboard.
The news
China's CR450 hits 896 km/h in passing-speed test
China's next-generation CR450 bullet trains set a new world passing-speed record during trials on the Wuhan-Yichang line. Two trains going opposite directions clocked a combined 896 km/h (557 mph), with each individual train peaking at 453 km/h. The CR450 is designed for commercial service at 400 km/h and still has 600,000 km of testing to go before passengers can ride it.
International Railway Journal · High Speed Rail Alliance
Austria's Koralmbahn corridor is now fully in service
Private operator Westbahn launched commercial service on Austria's new Koralmbahn corridor, adding six daily trains between Vienna and Villach. The highlight: travel time between Graz and Klagenfurt dropped from three hours to 41 minutes. The corridor features the world's sixth-longest railway tunnel and a direct Vienna-Ljubljana service is expected next.
California completes 59th HSR structure in Fresno
The California High-Speed Rail Authority finished the Cesar Chavez Boulevard underpass in Fresno on March 13, the first completed structure of 2026. It reconnects downtown Fresno to the city's southwest side, less than a mile from the planned station. Track installation is expected to begin later this year using materials already staged in Kern County.
Brightline West still waiting on $6B federal loan
The Las Vegas-to-Southern California project remains stuck waiting on a federal RRIF loan from the Build America Bureau. Total project costs have climbed past $21 billion, and service is now targeted for late 2029. Brightline executives are expected to provide another update at the end of March.
South Korea funding Ukraine HSR feasibility study
South Korea's KOICA committed $8 million for a feasibility study on a high-speed rail corridor from Kyiv to Ukraine's western EU border. A delegation met Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on March 18. The project is part of Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and integration into the EU transport network. Worth noting: Ukraine completed a 22 km European-gauge line under active wartime conditions last year.
Texas Central grant cancelled, project in limbo
The Trump DOT cancelled a $64 million federal planning grant for the Dallas-Houston HSR project, after which Amtrak and Spain's Renfe both withdrew from the partnership. As of March 2026, only about 25% of required land has been acquired and projected costs have ballooned to roughly four times the original estimate. No new forward movement.
From HighSpeedRail.TV
New videos added this week:
Comparing China's and Japan's High-Speed Rail Systems Two approaches to the same problem. How do the world's two biggest HSR networks actually stack up?
Why Stuttgart 21 is Controversial: Germany's €10+ Billion Rail Project One of Europe's most expensive and contested infrastructure projects, explained.
How Japan Lost Indonesia's High-Speed Rail Project to China The story of how China outmaneuvered Japan for Indonesia's first bullet train and what it means for HSR geopolitics.
California High Speed Rail Pushes Opening to 2040 The latest timeline update on the most watched (and most delayed) HSR project in the US.
Browse all 296 videos at highspeedrail.tv
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