(/s accepted if intended)

Realistically, HSR will have some power lines along the r/w. Existing lines/substations aren't always convenient to where the train is located, and upgrades are needed in any case. The train will have wires over the tracks anyway; why not also the HV lines needed to supply everything.

I know, NIMBY (but the train will be there already).

BTW, the CNBC article, while desperately in need of editing and proofreading (I'm hardly one to complain, admittedly), makes a good point: many renewables are site-limited, and often aren't where the loads are. Transmission lines are needed, and are usually built as part of the project at least as far as a designated connection point for the existing lines.

The article mentions batteries. Batteries still need power lines to accept and supply power. They have other uses, though, including local balancing of rooftop/parking lot solar production within the distribution system, which reduces the need for long-distance major transmission as local energy use shifts toward more electricity and away from fossil fuels like natural gas. They can't eliminate the need for transmission lines, but they can let local generation work better. And it doesn't have to be a crash project; shifts like that take time.