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[quote user="ICLand"] [quote user="Bucyrus"]  But even if HSR is not a part of railroading, the proponents of HSR including the FRA have made it clear that they intend for HSR to share the existing private corridors of the class-1 freight railroads.  They say this will be necessary because wherever HSR wants to go, the freight railroads already have the most appropriate corridors to get there.       [/quote] Well, I am going to get sucked into this. To be truly HSR, l just don't see how it can overlay grade and curvature route structures developed for the most part for 19th century railroads.  If proponents -- and I don't follow the literature on this -- really think that somehow that offers a "cheap" construction alternative all that they will get out of it is a "cheap" HSR that really can't perform as HSR and it proposes to foul up the current use of those corridors by the companies that actually are getting -- and maximizing -- the economic use and return from those corridors;  sacrificing, I suppose, an economic positive in favor of a subsidized and likely money-losing proposition. That of course means that there are fewer private dollars available to support the public money drain, while increasing the public money drain. That process seems never-ending. That's my short thought on the whole idea and it no doubt fully qualifies as a "short thought." I now feel guilty that someone may have wasted part of their remaining days on this Earth reading it. [/quote]   It does seem to be shaping up that HSR being proposed in the U.S. will operate at a maximum speed that many would argue is below the proper maximum speed of HSR.  The U.S. HSR seems happy to begin at around 100 mph or maybe a little faster.   Perhaps the pioneering era corridors limit the top speed, or perhaps the cost is limiting the speed.  The U.S. vision is for a nationwide system, and since it is a big nation, the magnitude of new HSR construction is very major.  I submit that much of the pioneering corridors is straight, so that straight portion could accommodate full speed HSR despite being laid out 150 years ago.   <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> Nevertheless, even with 100 mph passenger rail, I expect that adding it to the freight corridors will require easing curves, acquisition of land, drainage improvements, road and highway overpasses and underpasses, rearrangement of signaling, adjustments to the freight tracks, junctions with the freight tracks, revisions to grade crossing signaling, elimination of grade crossings, etc. <o:p></o:p> Incidentally, I don’t think that the use of the freight corridors is being advocated because it is the cheapest alternative so much as it is the only choice.  For as grandiose as the HSR vision is, adding to it, the acquisition of brand new corridors would be a showstopper.  When I read the FRA mission statement on this, it almost sounds like they feel there is a public entitlement to the use of the freight corridors for the greater good of society.  Ultimately, HSR will require a greatly expanded and modernized power grid, which will also require new corridors that will face the same level of show stopping opposition as new HSR corridors would.  Therefore, existing freight corridors are being considered for the location of new power lines for the same reasons they are being preferred for HSR.       Back to the issue of speed:  Aside from the practical limitation on speed, there is a debate within the passenger rail advocacy over the speed limit.  Since the main reason being put forth for HSR is to reduce the emission of CO2, some argue that the speed should be limited to 100 mph or less.  Otherwise, a train operating at ultra high speed will defeat the purpose of passenger rail by emitting more CO2 per passenger than driving a car or flying in an airplane.
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