> Japan is a democracy that has all three, and yet they managed to build a HSR system. France has a very good HSR system as well.
Yeah, both started in 1960s.
> The entire point of the US being suited for HSR is that it is so sparsely settled in the center of the country that you don't need frequent stops, or you can get away with just having every 2nd/3rd train stop at a specific city - with 30min of spacing between the trains, that's still 1h/1.5h interval for "flyover states". And a single train carries up to 1.000 passengers, replacing 4-5 planes.
And now you have 4000km of high speed rail tracks to keep in top notch condition. With a mountain range between the two coasts. And trains passing rather frequently.
> Please don't assume that the shit our politicians did with the DB network is valid for HSR in general.
Oh. Nothing to do with that. Weather, accidents, no staff were the most common causes.
Yeah, both started in 1960s.
> The entire point of the US being suited for HSR is that it is so sparsely settled in the center of the country that you don't need frequent stops, or you can get away with just having every 2nd/3rd train stop at a specific city - with 30min of spacing between the trains, that's still 1h/1.5h interval for "flyover states". And a single train carries up to 1.000 passengers, replacing 4-5 planes.
And now you have 4000km of high speed rail tracks to keep in top notch condition. With a mountain range between the two coasts. And trains passing rather frequently.
> Please don't assume that the shit our politicians did with the DB network is valid for HSR in general.
Oh. Nothing to do with that. Weather, accidents, no staff were the most common causes.