Reply #15: I'm a big supporter of HSR. But it has little to do with transit. It is long distance travel

[Leopolds Ghost]

The number of people who fly each day nationwide, or drive long distances, is less than the number of people who take a subway or commute in certain large cities. If HSR is a success it will do nothing to help local mass transit, people will simply drive to the remote HSR stations (think MetroPark in New York or San Jose CA or the proposed Miami HSR Terminal.) The quality of local mass transit will not be affected. Heavy mass transit benefits HSR use, not the other way around. It's like the people who think running mass transit to the airport will benefit the system. It's a pure loss leader. The number of actual airport users is dwarfed by the number of commuters in areas along the line. And the wealthy center city-to-center city commuter crowd (who are the primary beneficiaries of American-style HSR) drive to work. They have private parking in the CBD. Then they use the HSR as an alternative to the Delta Air shuttle.