There are several "trains to nowhere" in China. High speed rail is already active between Lanzhou (Gansu) and Ürümqi (Xinjiang), which is 1500km of pretty empty

There are several "trains to nowhere" in China. High speed rail is already active between Lanzhou (Gansu) and Ürümqi (Xinjiang), which is 1500km of pretty empty countryside. They're talking about linking in Lhasa (Tibet) too. I can't imagine any of those routes will be profitable, but perhaps the income from the coastal provinces makes up the difference. I suspect in China there is more political incentive to connect these far-flung provinces, though, to try to promote national unity. I'm not sure closing the gap between the PNW and "middle America" is considered quite as important by people in DC.