I don't understand why Americans covet European long distance high speed rail. Even a lot of the more recent European high speed routes were built primarily fo

I don't understand why Americans covet European long distance high speed rail. Even a lot of the more recent European high speed routes were built primarily for political reasons and carry little actual traffic. The high speed line between France and Spain has just 2 trains a day. In the US, the distances are so much greater and the population density so much lower that it just doesn't make sense apart from a few small regions. Covet the Urban Transport networks, the pedestrian-friendly cities, the mixed use suburban districts, yes; but long distance high speed rail is one thing that just doesn't translate.