More than a year after a company shared a proposal for speedy coast-to-coast U.S. train service, operations have not yet begun.
AmeriStarRail’s Transcontinental Chief train would carry passengers, truck drivers and their tractor-trailers between Los Angeles and New York in under 72 hours, a July 2025 news release said. The company said at the time that the train – using private financing – could begin operating on May 10, 2026, ahead of America’s 250th birthday and the FIFA World Cup, subject to operating agreements with host railroads.
AmeriStarRail presented the project to Amtrak, saying that the route would be more profitable than its current long-distance service. However, Scott Spencer, AmeriStarRail’s Chief Operating Officer, said the company
was not able to meet that launch date because it does not yet have a joint venture agreement with Amtrak.
“The key approval needed is from Amtrak because we need a joint venture to partner with them,” he told USA TODAY in an email. “This is because the Transcontinental Chief needs to be operated, branded, ticketed and marketed as an Amtrak train in partnership with AmeriStarRail as required by congressional statutes and the host freight railroads.”
Amtrak did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Amtrak spokesperson Beth Toll previously said in a statement that the company reviewed a letter from AmeriStarRail and determined that it was "lacking a fundamental business case to support its lofty proposal."
Spencer said AmeriStarRail “is still actively pursuing this opportunity with many mayors, economic development interests, (chambers of commerce) and logistics owners and investors, across the country along the route,” and now intends to begin service in May 2028 in time for the Summer Olympics.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A 72-hour train from L.A. to New York was planned. Where is it?
