@traingator: The Acela, Amtrak’s flagship tops out at 150 mph but averages 68 mph because it shares track with freight. The Shinkansen covers Tokyo to Osaka 320 miles in 2 hours 21 minutes. France’s TGV. China’s CR400. These aren’t luxury products. They’re the default. The U.S. built an entire national identity around a transportation system that the rest of the developed world quietly lapped decades ago.