High-speed rail (HSR) in the United States has not seen the same success as in Europe and Asia. Two studies funded by the Mineta Transportation Institute looked at past U.S. efforts and found that key factors like ownership of rail lines are crucial for HSR success. Without these factors, HSR projects in the U.S. have often failed. The research questions if the few successful U.S. projects can be replicated without a single rail entity owning the right of way, and suggests that smaller, incremental HSR efforts may be more likely to succeed.