But that's exactly my point. The skill needed to build hsr in America is navigating the layers of the federal system and avoiding the roadblocks of common law.

But that's exactly my point. The skill needed to build hsr in America is navigating the layers of the federal system and avoiding the roadblocks of common law. SNCF doesn't have this skill. Literally any civil engineering firm can build a railroad through a desert under a totalitarian regime.