The best takes on this are all the other Americans going “um planes exist” and “um trains can’t go that fast wtf”

Babes they have this in like every other developed country we are literally the only ones with our fingers up our ass like this.

Lobbyists.

Big Auto and Big Oil are why we can’t have this.

I was irritated at the resolution so I looked for a better quality, idk if tumblr was just deteriorating it tho, so here

Link to full size map | Guardian article | Slate article | Business Insider article

This map was created by Alfred Twu in 2013. Here’s his twitter.

These articles mention some information about the implementation of a high speed rail system in the United States. To sum it up:

• it would connect rural and urban, and regional, societies
• it would improve long-distance relationships and familial relationships
• it’s cost-efficient
• it could prove economically beneficial to smaller cities
• we’d be saving fuel

This is the pre-existing Amtrak route map (and the pdf):

Amtrak travels at an average of 71 mph with maximum speeds of 150 mph. A trip from New York to Los Angeles could range anywhere from $350 - $1300 and it would take roughly 3 days.

The one proposed by Twu would travel at 220 mph and take 18 hours to get from New York to Los Angeles. Bullet trains average at 320 kph, which converts to about 200 mph. Test runs have gone up to a 375 mph.

This isn’t the first proposition for a new national high speed rail either. In 2009, the Obama administration proposed one but it was shot down by Republicans. Here’s the map:

And here’s an explanation by Vox as to why this wasn’t the best plan.

And here are some more route examples:

And yes, Big Auto and Big Oil are exactly why we can’t have this. Here’s a 24 minute breakdown by Hasan Minhaj on Patriot Act.