But in the US, freight railroads commonly run trains
that are two miles long and very heavy. None of
these train can economically manage steep grades.
There is also the gigantic expense of electrifying long
stretches of track, and, as Ernest pointed out, none
of our privately-owned freight railroads are allowed
to even consider long-term projects, because all Wall
Street will support is short-term (3 months at most)
funding. Requiring trains to run through European-
length tunnels (c. 30 miles long) would requite those
freight trains to be pulled by electric locomotives.

As far as high-speed rail in California is concerned:
the sooner the idea is scrapped, the better. The managers
and consultants have wasted huge amounts of our tax
monies -- and this has to stop. Besides, there is no
decent public transit network for those high-speed trains
to connect to. And there won't be any time soon.
Also: where will they get the electricity to power these
trains? And where is the reliable onogoing source of funds
to operate these trains going to come from? The faster
you go, the higher the maintenance costs are -- and 220-mph
trains will require a gigantic maintenance budget.

Margaret (SP fan)