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We don't need a system like Europe. With the distance involved and the spread of modern cities it does not make sense. Rails for Cities should be handled by the local and state taxes only, the EL here in Chicago is a perfect example.
HOWEVER, more rail lines (commerce and HSR) between the cities should have been done ages ago. Take a look at San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas/Fort Worth. They all sit on I-35, which is the busiest highway in the country for trucks which flow from the largest inland port in the world (Laredo) thanks to NAFTA. They are building massive projects to build bypasses around the cities as they sit directly on this highway. A HSR would allow people to travel by train between these three large cities, and it could also be built paralleling commerce tracks which desperately need to be built. Sort of a 2 for 1 deal, as the length of land s the majority of cost, not the extra 15 feet for a second rail.
Build a modern web of commercial rail between the cities and see the drastic reduction in truck traffic as a result. HSR travel will still primarily make sense in the NE, less so in the South and West. With the distances involved, the time difference between flight and rail (even at 175mph) is too drastic. As one person mentioned, 12hrs by train or 2.5hrs on a plane, which do you think the businessman will want? Which do you think the parent with a 6mo and a 2yr old wants to do?
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"Smite the rocks with the rod of knowledge, and fountains of unstinted wealth will gush forth." - Ashbel Smith as he laid the first cornerstone of the University of Texas
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