we should be looking closely at how Japan Rail operates its high speed trains. their trains are fast safe and on time.
I wonder if amtrak did a test run. JR uses an instrumented
“yellow train” to test rail alignment and train car stability and regularly examine closely the wheels and bogies of their trains. if this had happened in Japan it is not outside the realm of possibility that there would be suicides among the staff responsible due to unbearable shame and remorse.
The trouble with ‘high-speed’ trains is there is little ridership demand; every town along the way wants the train to stop there; 79 mph as this train was going is not high speed; all of these trains need heavy subsidies to operate which means huge tax increases to support them.
In the end, because of all the stops, its faster to drive ... A real ‘high-speed’ train goes in the neighborhood of 200 mph - so the only sort of destinations that would work in the US would be nonstop NYC to SF or the like. - definitely not Seattle to Portland. But there is no demand, outside of the ultraliberal wine and cheese set.