Three West Coast Main Line operates speeds up to 125mph/200kmph, so very much high speed rail in US terms - faster than the Acela if I recall correctly.
I’ve seen 155 mph on the Acela, but it only cruises at those speeds for a few minutes on the NY to Boston leg. On these routes it’s not so much freight priority as track quality, segment grading, turn radius, etc. The old Metroliner trains could run nearly this fast. It’s disappointing.
redler|4 years ago