France's high speed rail is "successful"...
I am living in France where they have an extensive and highly utilised public transportation system that includes high speed rail, standard rail, buses, as well as metropolitan light rail and subways. But the reason that people use the rail system is because it is cheaper than driving (for one passenger), as gas costs $8.50 per gallon, and ALL of the highways are toll roads. Taking the TGV train from Lyon to Paris costs about 66 Euros, but driving runs about 50 Euros for gas and 30 Euros for tolls. Cities in Europe are have a high population density, about ten times more dense than most US cities outside of Manhattan. This makes it practical to provide public transportation for the entire population. But in California (where I grew up), and most of the US, I think it is a lost cause.
