Which is why the entire point of my post was entirely in agreement with what you're saying here. I wasn't against HSR at all, just the idea that it needs to span the country.
It should connect large urban areas as needed, to bring the megalopolises closer together and easier to access, and in a way that's advantageous over air travel. It should not attempt to compete with cross-country flights, since it's not logical given those conditions. If you change the conditions, then sure, it makes perfect sense!
You're absolutely correct about all the routes you mentioned. Those are perfect. I want HSR on those routes. It handily beats air travel in every way.
But NYC to LA? Seattle to DC? Nope. Sure you could do that, but it would make more sense to fly, and that's simply a logical combination of transit for this large country. The map doesn't show that—it shows routes all the way across the country in ways that make no sense. We don't need to connect the coasts with high speed rail, because it's not logical to do so. That was my point, and I'm sure you would generally agree.
Totally in agreement. In fact I think the NYC to LA stuff drags the HSR debate into the mud more than anything else. We should instead be focusing on the U.S. mega-regions and pitching how HSR could help revitalize cities like Philadelphia or Detroit by connecting them to their thriving neighbors within their mega-regions.
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Which is why the entire point of my post was entirely in agreement with what you're saying here. I wasn't against HSR at all, just the idea that it needs to span the country.
It should connect large urban areas as needed, to bring the megalopolises closer together and easier to access, and in a way that's advantageous over air travel. It should not attempt to compete with cross-country flights, since it's not logical given those conditions. If you change the conditions, then sure, it makes perfect sense!
You're absolutely correct about all the routes you mentioned. Those are perfect. I want HSR on those routes. It handily beats air travel in every way.
But NYC to LA? Seattle to DC? Nope. Sure you could do that, but it would make more sense to fly, and that's simply a logical combination of transit for this large country. The map doesn't show that—it shows routes all the way across the country in ways that make no sense. We don't need to connect the coasts with high speed rail, because it's not logical to do so. That was my point, and I'm sure you would generally agree.
Totally in agreement. In fact I think the NYC to LA stuff drags the HSR debate into the mud more than anything else. We should instead be focusing on the U.S. mega-regions and pitching how HSR could help revitalize cities like Philadelphia or Detroit by connecting them to their thriving neighbors within their mega-regions.