I mean I've been doing the math and looking at ridership, transportation and population density mapping in hopes of justifying it for about two of those decades

I mean I've been doing the math and looking at ridership, transportation and population density mapping in hopes of justifying it for about two of those decades. Show me a similar area with fewer than 12,000 people per linear kilometer that has HSR and I will be impressed and take notes. I don't know of anywhere on earth that has fast trains and that few people.