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I almost agree. However, there has to be a vision, a long term plan, much like the interstate highway system. The keystones will be the major population centers of the Northeast (New York City/Washington DC), the Midwest (Chicago), Florida (Miami/Orlando/Tampa), and Texas (Dallas/Houston), and of course California (Oakland/Los Angeles). Transcontinentals won't survive, they cannot compete with the airliners. Since Seattle already has a TGV train, it will have to make do with it. Of course, Seattle will want the faster engines and electrified track eventually. Yes, it will take time, but 20-25 years is not unreasonable. Start in California, Florida, Texas, and the Midwest, eventually, tie them together. Improve the Acela tracks on the northeast corridor, and viola, it will be accomplished. Furthermore, don't stop, keep building slowly like the Europeans... The Rockies are another problem altogether. It would cost as much to put one line in west of Denver as the rest of the network. I also do not see where we would attempt to put high speed rail anywhere else throught the Rockies. I suggest we kill the daily hotel trains, and concentrate keeping passenger trains on the routes earmarked for high speed rail. Amtrak as it exists today will not survive for long. For starters, other than its Acela trainsets and the Cascades trainsets, its equipment is obsolete compared to the Europeans. If were going to capitalize Amtrak with new trainsets, it might as well be TGVs, or nothing. DOT has a problem, which will show its ugly face in the not to distant future. Our major airports are running out of real estate to put in new runways and terminals. The airport building boom will soon exhaust the available real estate. Some major airports are already out of airspace, see New York City. The closest a new $7 billion major airport for New York City would more than likely be at least 100 miles from Manhattan, and DOT will have to fight the NIMBY effect..... Maybe it won't happen in this decade, but someday in the future, when we cannot build anymore airports anywhere near a major city, high speed rail will flourish.
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