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Does anyone really believe that the award of federal monies for enhanced passenger rail in the U.S. was a function of market evaluations as opposed to political considerations?  The big winners appear to be the states that went blue as opposed to red during the last election.  Politicians tend to award their supporters.  I would do the same if I was a politician.  But awarding transport contracts because they are good politics tends to make for bad economics.  I just returned from a trip to San Diego via the Texas Eagle (Sunset Limited) and Pacific Surfliner. Upgrading the line between LAX and San Diego for 110 mph running will be a challenge.  In many areas the trains run through highly congested communities.  They are not likely to be sympathetic to having high speed trains barrel through their towns (Oceanside, Solana Beach, etc.).  Also, from Solana Beach to San Diego the track(s) follows a curvy route to crest the hills between the two communities.  Straightening them appears to be an expensive proposition. It is going to take a lot more than signal improvements to upgrade the performance of the Eagle between DFW and San Antonio.  The train takes nearly ten hours to run between Big ‘D' and the Alamo City.  The bus takes as little as four hours and forty five minutes whilst one can drive it easily in four and a half hours.  Or fly between the two cities in approximately 55 minutes sans check-in time and security clearance. Chicago to St. Louis in four hours may be a good deal for leisure travelers or for those traveling to stops up and down the line.  But most business people will continue to fly between the two cities.  The flying time averages one hour and nine minutes with a cost of approximately $160 return.  Check-in and security clearance would probably add another hour to the time, bringing the total to two hours and nine minutes.  Unless one is going from downtown - near the railroad station - to downtown, equally near the railroad station, flying is the only smart way to go for most business people.     These awards are just the start.  How much will be required to complete the projects is a key question?  For a nation mired in debt, someone should pay attention to this question.  But I am not counting on it.
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