It doesn't have to be an either-or situation, they may be able to coexist together. For autonomous personal vehicles, you get an end-to-end solution that is inf

It doesn't have to be an either-or situation, they may be able to coexist together. For autonomous personal vehicles, you get an end-to-end solution that is infinitely flexible, but may be subject to congestion, parking and ownership problems. For HSR, you have higher speeds between metro areas without having to worry about parking, fuel or weather, at the cost of not having a door-to-door solution or the flexibility of a personal car. Depending on your trip, one method may be more desirable than another. In October, I made two trips from Western MA to NYC. The first time I drove - my schedule was unknown, I had a lot of baggage with me and I wasn't staying in Manhattan so it made sense to drive. The second trip was for a day meeting in mid-town, so taking the train made more sense. There is single perfect mode, diversity in transportation matters.