[thecabal]

How is high speed rail a significant technical achievement which will do anything to spur innovation in the UK or US? We already have a higher-speed travel infrastructure. Why dump a bunch of money into a parallel infrastructure which doesn't even move people as fast as airlines? Just a boondoggle make-work program for railfans?

Other than that, it sounds like Dyson makes some decent points.

[Willie Green]

We already have a higher-speed travel infrastructure. Why dump a bunch of money into a parallel infrastructure which doesn't even move people as fast as airlines?

Airline travel is exclusively dependent on Oil for fuel.
High Speed Rail and Maglev offer an electrically powered alternative to "short-hop" air travel where fuel consumption is most inefficient.

[B-Chan]

We already have a higher-speed travel infrastructure.

Which will vanish like flatulence in a hurricane the minute gasoline reaches $10.00 per gallon... or becomes unavailable except for official use only.

Meanwhile, those countries with nuclear-powered electric rail networks will still be rolling along.