”the US is a county in which long distance rail is decidedly non-viable, nor does anyone have enough time to take 3 days to travel 1500 miles (which is how long

”the US is a county in which long distance rail is decidedly non-viable, nor does anyone have enough time to take 3 days to travel 1500 miles (which is how long it takes driving or by train - and even longer by bus)“ The current shinkansen reaches 200mph, with in-development versions going faster. Distance from NYC to LA is 2790 miles (by highway; the straight-line distance is shorter). That’s a bit under 14 hours at 200mph. That’s pretty much the worst case; most people aren’t flying cross-country on a regular basis, and regional flights (e.g. Columbus to Chicago) are a big business. Obviously real trains would be slower than peak shinkansen speeds, but like most train opponents, you are severely exaggerating your argument.