RE: Is high-speed rail worth it in the U.S.?
It takes point to point travel density to make rail viable. An airline route can be viable for one round trip per day if 50 people a day will take the flight. A TGV like, high speed rail requires several round trips per day on the line at well over 1,000 people per train to justify building the infrastructure. That is what France has for the TGV from Paris to Lyon (just to pick on one of their most successful routes) where the rail service is so effective that airline service on the route has dropped significantly.
As others have mentioned, it requires either dedicated high speed lines or absolute passenger priority. On time service must be at least as good as an airline. The convenience factor must provide a better overall experience than the independent scheduling of driving in the heavy traffic of a major metropolitan destination.
At long distances the time saved in airport security and congestion is more than offset by the speed advantage of the airplane. This makes links such as New York to Chicago dubious even if there are the thousands of passengers per day making the trip.LA to New York just won't become viable. Modern blimps have greater potential on these routes for lower energy consumption per passenger mile while providing a competitive passenger experience.
High speed rail fits the up to 500 mile high density travel link. This is the where the European high speed rail lines are successful. These are between nearby major cities. Portland to Seattle has promise. Boston, New York, Washington D.C. could definitely displace airline traffic. Dallas, Houston is another route with a good potential.
Carefully selected point to point high speed rail service routes should be viable in the US,just as they are in Europe. A nation wide high speed rail system for the US is not viable. The distances are too great and the potential passenger volumes too low. Rail can only be a green technology where the service is well used. It is not just the locomotive that uses energy. Building and maintaining the rails uses energy as well. 100 people per day use less energy driving from Charlotte to Raleigh in North Carolina than building and maintaining a high speed rail service for them. But at enough thousands of people per day, the rail service can be financially viable and save energy.
