Say what you want bad about France but if SNCF sez the TGV to Lyon departs Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:51 you better damned well be inside the door at 10:50 because that MoFo is pulling out at 10:51 and they don't GAS if you're on it or not. Admirable.

Not so admirable is advertising the line from Montpellier to Carcassone as TGV...well, you do ride in a TGV trainset but at regular track speed. Once you leave Montpellier it is high speed business as usual. From a passenger and logistics standpoint it makes sense but being an outsider it isn't clear that the line is in actuality, regular rail service.

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Acela is pretty cool, whistles along at a fair clip and is capable of much more. The real estate to fix that limitation isn't going to come cheap.

FWIW, the USA isn't a good candidate for nationwide high-speed rail...too much ground to cover. At speeds between 150-200mph, the advantage is lost if you need to travel more than 300-400 miles. That's where aircraft come into their own.

However, there are plenty of corridors besides the NE that would benefit from 150+ mph rail service.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.