I have been hoping that the US would implement a high-speed rail system for some time. I have lived in Spain, and even though they have a notoriously bad company running it all (Renfe), trains are such a useful form a transportation. And they are very, very affordable and allow you not to have to buy and maintain a car.

The US is a very different place, especially the southern states where people live in huge houses secluded in mountains, but there is no reason not to improve our system. College students could use them to go to school, to see their families. Older folks could use them to travel easily to another city. The environment benefits would be considerable.

It's sad to see how this failed and got stripped down by Congress and opposed by so many states. I think the intro hits it right on the head:

The saga of US rail transport shows how difficult it is for the American system of government to complete large-scale projects of incontestable social and environmental value that other leading capitalist states have managed to execute in the same time frame.