High-Speed Rail: How long do we have to wait?

Spud Hilton of the Bad Latitude blog at SFGate.com is in Taiwan, wondering what it's going to take for America to finally catch up to everyone else with high-speed rail systems. Follow Spud at @SpudHilton or at Facebook.com/SpudontheRoad .

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• travel
• video
• train
• rails
• high
• speed
• taiwan

[naitojulia]

The reality is few want a high speed rail system because we enjoy the freedom of our own car. Personally I would like to have a network of hi speed rail in the US, but the cost vs the willingness of the American people to use it does not mesh.

[MrThoreros]

nous en France ont a jamais oublié le Trains et même développé le TGV ^^



[teameymelli1]

glad I'm not like most americans...though im a first-gen, that may have something to do with it :)

really is sad...but funny too, bemusing

[kadokurakou]

You'll probably won't see the high speed rail in CA for another 10 years, at least. First, the state don't have the budget to build it. And oil company won't let that happen either. U.S. is pretty much dominated and cotrolled by oil industry because they have the power (money) to control politicians.

[ymhktravel]

pt 2: hi-speed rail will not buy the benefits of a hi-speed rail, citing various reasons.Now,it's still just talk and more talk, no concrete action and political will shown. By the time USA indeed has A high speed rail, other c'tries already having it (most european c'tries, japan, s korea, china, taiwan, russia) or going to have it now (eg. hk,laos-with help from china, thailand) will be leap years ahead of USA. It's a lot of money, and USA has other crumbling infrastr.to repair

[ymhktravel]

I'm not American, so i don't a direct or vested interest in USA state of domestic affairs.But I'm interested in high speed rail and USA partisan politicking. So just my 2 cents' worth here: with republicans in congress more in favour of tightening than spending, and a fractious 2-party system that never seem to agree for the common good, high speed rail in USA remains a pipe dream. And like you say, the average americans who prob hv never travelled out of USA to Europe and Asia to experience...