I like the article and it’s bottom line: you will always find someone that is against it. If you arguments with facts, you will always get “against” facts. But If we all have NO choice, arguments go to second level.

Speed trains work all over europe, I don’t think why it won’t work in USA…

Olmo

For people worrying and claiming “not in my back yard” I think they have little to worry about. Ironically these trains go at 300 kph at top speed and wiz by so quick you probably wouldn’t even have time to notice them let alone be bothered by them.. however I fully understand the concern and if asked if I want it running through my backyard I might be hesitant too.. however that being said I wouldn’t want to hold up installing the who concept in North America. This is where we have to find intelligent solutions to meet the greater good of all people and hoigh speed rail will give us all more options for short, regional and even long distance travel. Airlines will then have to actually face alternative competition and maybe improve their service to meet the needs of customers who might actually leave for a more viable land based option other than cars and buses. So gains all around if we can all just get past the “there is no solution but my solution” stance. Good luck to you all down there, I hope it works out.. and hopefully up here too.

this has never been the policy of the U.S. or of any country.

So are WE to ignore the concerns of local folks who may not (in a majority opinion) want high speed rail through their community for what ever reason?? Are we just to say sorry your concerns are not valid, we (big government) know better, take the rail and live with it?? We are not a dictatorship (yet) in the USA, government rules with the consent of the public and public involvement is solicited and required on projects such as high speed rail. You may not like that some members of the public don’t feel comfortable or want High speed rail in their community but you don’t live in their community and probably may never understand why they have concerns and/or don’t want it at all. If local politicians fail to listen and fail to respond to the local community when they DON’T want something those local politicians (county, state and city) will be voted out. Its not an issue of whether the concerns make sense in the bigger picture its that concerns exist about affects of large projects on the lifestyle and community of people in those areas. I am sure if someone was proposing a Nuclear plant in a community and that community had objections you would probably say the community had the right to object and that their concerns needed to be listened to and addressed. Would you not?? Its no different with High speed rail. The only difference is that in China very little objection and or concern or dissent is allowed.