re: #193 oaktree

Despite passenger rail being a huge issue in the US, freight rail is a huge advantage that the US has over the rest of the world. We ship more by tonnage and rail mile than any other country, and it results in a substantial cost/energy savings. One of the big costs with HSR is creating new ROW for passenger-only rail - since most track is shared between freight and passenger, and the freight takes priority on most routes (because it’s more profitable to the freight rail lines).