On Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:19:54 +0000
Neil Williams wrote:
On 2016-02-16 09:49:06 +0000, Water musician said:

Of course, if we had a different political system (France, NL, Germany?) we
might have the optimum urban rail networks, rather than the affordable
versions. OTOH, if we had another different political system (USA?) we might
have ALMOST NO urban rail networks.

While your general point is solid, the latter is patently false. Large
US cities have urban rail networks, most of them quite comprehensive.
It's InterCity and rural rail the US really lacks, and this is
understandable given the size of the place; air is much more practical.

A 200mph TGV could get up and down the east and west coasts in a few hours.
With its large amounts of land and huge economy the US is perfect for high
speed rail, there's just little political will. Air should only really be
needed for cross continent trips.

--
Spud