High-speed rail in the USA

i think the term 'high speed' is used somewhat loosely here; top speed of 160mph is what theyre talking now.

Are they faster in other countries?

It looks like at least the California train would be up to 220mph (354 kph).

I think a high-speed train is useless if you arrive in LA and then have to walk to your destination because there is no public transport in town. They should use the money to build mass transit systems in the big cities and THEN think about the fancy stuff.

This train is the perfect example of how to best sink billions in a useless prestige project.
A maglev train only makes sense for longer distances, because on such a short ride, it needs most of the distance for accelerating and breaking.

Besides that, there are little uncared-for problems with this technology. For example, the train can´t run if there´s snow or ice on the track. Maybe not a problem in Shanghai, but in most countries which could actually afford this waste of taxpayer money.

Following the opening, overall maglev train ridership levels were at 20% of capacity. The levels were attributed to limited operating hours, the short length of the line, high ticket prices and the comparatively inconvenient location of the Longyang Road terminus—in Pudong and well away from the centre of Shanghai.

They planned to build the same thing between Munich and MUC airport. The Bavarian government is just as senile as the old farts ruling China. The projected costs went out of control, so it was stopped.

The hostel industry needs two things in the US: 1.) Reliable/affordable transportation. 2.) Entrepreneurs to identify new destinations and open new hostels. This is a step in the right direction. In Tourism class we talk a lot about infrastructure for Tourism, the Aussies and Europeans are brilliant at this and the US needs to catch up. The US needs to update its infrastructure not just for the tourist in mind but also the morning commuter and to reduce our consumption of oil. Greyhound is another system that has been allowed to deteriorate. I just hope the money is spent intelligently.