Someone made a good argument on Reddit when discussing Australia which is also has a slowish rail network.
It is a 3hr drive Sydney to Canberra and 4hr on train. Mainly because the train track was originally for freight so has more curves than needed for passenger.
They said rather than aim for a super fast train just improve the tracks we have and get the time down to 3hr to compete with the car.
This is a good point because then you get more revenues and usage (the trains are full right now but infrequent - maybe they can run them every 15 minutes)
Then you can go make the case for an even faster train for 2050.
The Japanese Shinkansen is something else. Doing my first decent trip on one this week and can't wait!
It is a 3hr drive Sydney to Canberra and 4hr on train. Mainly because the train track was originally for freight so has more curves than needed for passenger.
They said rather than aim for a super fast train just improve the tracks we have and get the time down to 3hr to compete with the car.
This is a good point because then you get more revenues and usage (the trains are full right now but infrequent - maybe they can run them every 15 minutes)
Then you can go make the case for an even faster train for 2050.
The Japanese Shinkansen is something else. Doing my first decent trip on one this week and can't wait!