AP, 6/27:
Popular elsewhere, high-speed rail remains elusive in the US
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Travelers easily whiz from city to city on high-speed trains in many parts of South America, Asia and Europe. Since the first high-speed lines began operating more than 50 years ago in Japan, they have become an essential part of transportation worldwide.
Yet the U.S. has never built a single mile of high-speed rail, which is generally defined as accommodating trains that go at least 200 mph. And proposals to do so have been thwarted for decades.
So what's holding America back?
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