Please read the comments. HSR has its place.
I would love to see a transcontinental HSR grid as part of a national rail system linking regional rail with HSR.
What many people do not realize is the US had first generation HSR up until the 1950s. We had steam engines running on dedicated express rails between Boston and NY that did the run in an hour less than the allegedly HSR Acela does today.
The 1930s era steam engine on the NYC to Chicago run was over 5 hours faster than the current Amtrak train. It used a state of the art water scoop to refill its water tank without stopping.
Long distance HSR rail, with over 200 miles between stations running on dedicated track, would be a boon to the US for passenger and cargo service. I just waited 4 days for a package from Texas that shipped by truck the whole way. The USPS could have loaded that package on HSR and had it here in 2 days with a far smaller carbon footprint.
Until the 1960s the USPS was one of the largest rail customers with its long distance shipping. The second largest customer was Sears shipping out of their warehouses in Chicago to regional distribution centers that then used trucks for the last few miles.
The USPS was convinced by the truck manufacturers and DOT to switch to trucks starting in the early 1960s as the highway system expanded. Sears stopped using trains when they moved from their warehouse campus to the new Sears tower in the 1970s. Those 2 market shifts killed rail. Rail for passengers only is unsustainable. That is why the lastest generation TVGs have more cargo cars.
The California HSR plan is highly flawed in its basic design. That is the root of my opposition and many others here.
