re: Can high speed rail work in the United States?

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The 1000lb gorilla in the room.

Rail works very well in yurop because many cities were not designed with cars in mind and you don’t *need* a car.

You pretty much have to have a car in most U.S. cities because they were designed to defer convenience to drivers rather than pedestrians.

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Neither Atlanta nor Birmingham are any more sprawling than, say, Berlin or Munich. The difference is they have adequate public transportation AND they do not think anything at all about walking 20 blocks or so and toting groceries. Atlanta has horrible public transportation and Birmingham has a bus. Even with Atlanta's somewhat better public transportation you still gotta be willing and able to walk more than most people are willing to. Or ride a bike, something that is seen as a homosexual activity to many Americans....