Reply #22: Couple of problems with YOUR post

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. The same Congressional tightwads who think that $1 billion in current dollars is too much for Amtrak did not hesitate to bail out the airlines--which are, I remind you, private businesses.

2. China, which is nearly as big as the U.S., is building high-speed rail.

3. Five to six hours from MSP to NYC? Oh, the humanity! Actually, when you consider that high-speed rail lines typically go from downtown to downtown, not from suburban airport to suburban airport, the time difference isn't so large.

If I were Transportation Czarina, I'd have each region build a high speed rail system with dedicated tracks (that's why Japan's and France's trains can go so fast). Example: Boston to Washington, Atlanta to Orlando and Miami, New Orleans to Houston and Dallas, Los Angeles to Las Vegas, etc. Then I'd start connecting them.

Most people wouldn't cross the country by rail. But then, most people don't ever have any reason to fly from coast to coast, period, unless they're in show business or some other high-powered profession. They go from Minneapolis to Chicago or from Portland to San Francisco or from Atlanta to New Orleans.