Why on earth are you comparing HSR, where you can travel large distances in about 1/4 of the time you could by car, with driving?
Driving isn't an alternative in these scenarios, and I didn't see anybody claiming that HSR is more efficient than driving either....
If you're going to make comparisons, compare to EQUIVALENT services, not services which take you there in 4x the time and cost you far more (petrol and car maintenance will far outweigh any rail costs).
What's more, the study you linked (which I haven't looked at) you claim only says that HSR is AS EFFICIENT as driving - I'd say that's damn good since it's also cheaper and faster - where's your point? Here's a quick counter point:
'Even using electricity generated from coal or oil, high speed trains are significantly more fuel-efficient per passenger per kilometer traveled than the typical automobile because of economies of scale in generator technology'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail#cite_note-28Lets make a comparison with services which are actually equivalent shall we, such as flying? I've already provided some stats for that so I think we know where that discussion is headed.
