Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Red tape was not the issue, really, it was lack of funding, known at the start of this, by everyone.  High speed rail is very expensive, everywhere, that's why it doesn't exist here.  Only national governments can "afford" to build it, and then subsidize it so rates are not stratospheric.  The French TGV was built by government, operated by government, and subsidized heavily, there is no economics that works otherwise.  Americans ride it once or twice and think "Why don't we have this?".

Sure thing, pony up, many billions.  A private company is constructing "Brightline" in Florida, it runs at 125 mph on specific stretches of track.  I hope it works for them, I would not invest in the project at all.  Americans prefer personal transportation despite the expense.

Red tape was not the issue, really, it was lack of funding, known at the start of this, by everyone.  High speed rail is very expensive, everywhere, that's why it doesn't exist here.  Only national governments can "afford" to build it, and then subsidize it so rates are not stratospheric.  The French TGV was built by government, operated by government, and subsidized heavily, there is no economics that works otherwise.  Americans ride it once or twice and think "Why don't we have this?".

Sure thing, pony up, many billions.  A private company is constructing "Brightline" in Florida, it runs at 125 mph on specific stretches of track.  I hope it works for them, I would not invest in the project at all.  Americans prefer personal transportation despite the expense.

So, if we weren't funding a crappy country's war, we could have HSR in the country.

Brightline is working very well, by the way.

Amtrak doesn't work because riding on Amtrak is like riding on Greyhound.

HSR in Europe is like flying on Delta.

We don't rent cars in Europe. We would if they had Amtrak.

We hire taxis for that.

Red tape was not the issue, really, it was lack of funding, known at the start of this, by everyone.  High speed rail is very expensive, everywhere, that's why it doesn't exist here.  Only national governments can "afford" to build it, and then subsidize it so rates are not stratospheric. 

That's why any who either initiated or profited from it should be in the Big House or payback their ill gotten gaines.Then we can go after congress and the conglomerates. After that is accomplished i'm going to play cards in the garage behind my house near the woods - with Emelia Earhart,Jimmy Hoffa,Elvis,DB Cooper,sasquatch and ET if he hasn't went home yet

The Italian Frecciarossa is also awesome. However, it took a long time for the Italian government to overhaul the structure of it's railroads. It started in 1980, and has taken almost an entire generation and the entrant of a competitor (Italo) to get things to where they are now.

This study from the International Transport Forum is a fascinating read on such things.

https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/high-speed-rail-competition-italy.pdf

I recently checked the price of a train from Marseille to Florence, Italy.  Flying was cheaper and faster.  I got a note that Delta restarted the nonstop from here to Nice and I thought that could be a nice trip, visit Marseille and the daugher in law and then Florence.  I figured we could take the train from one to the other.  Plane fares are weird.

But I'm not going to take a train when flying is cheaper and faster.