On 8th December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the US Department of Transportation approved around €7.6 billion (US$8.2 billion) for ten long-distance passenger rail projects across the country. At the same time, corridor planning activities were announced that will have an impact on all regions of the country. The funds include a contribution to the provision of high-speed trains (HST) in California's Central Valley, the high-speed rail (HSR) line from Las Vegas to Southern California, and the expansion of existing railway corridors to better connect Northern Virginia and the South-east with the Northeast Corridor (NEC). At the same time, the FRA is planning to select 69 corridors in 44 states as part of the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) programme, which will drive the future expansion of passenger rail lines.
