Persons interested in high speed passenger trains really ought to make a trip to Europe. In 1984, my wife and I rode France's TGV between Paris and Lyon, almost all of which was at "high speed" (160+ mph), and most of which was on a new right-of-way dedicated to the TGV.

That was a quarter of a century ago!

Today, Europe's high speed network has spread to most EU nations, and includes the Channel Tunnel connection to the UK. On a recent trip to Germany, I rode the DB "ICE" train from Würzburg through Frankfurt to Köln. In addition to the higher speed, the "ICE" train's route was brand-new, crossing rivers on new bridges and punching through ranges of small hills in new tunnels. Much of the reduced transit time was a factor of the new, more direct route, as much as the higher speed of the trains.

While Amtrak's Acela is impressive, its route over existing trackage limits its top speed for much of the route.

Other Western nations have a quarter century jump on the USA where high speed passenger trains are concerned. I, for one, do not believe high speed passenger trains and freight trains can share a common right-of-way.

We need to get off the fence, and begin developing a few true high speed passenger trains on routes of, say, 300 - 400 miles in length (city center to city center).