[dragonwriter]

It's funny that hyperloop proponents both argue that it is better for HSRs role, but that it's main purpose is to replace airline flights.

HSRs main justification is reducing the increase in long-range intrastate auto trips.

Also, whether an air travel or auto trip replacement, the hyperloop paper relied for its low cost on a route that doesn't have the transit connections to either where people are from or where they are trying to go be useful, whereas HSR both connects population centers and includes investments in improving connecting regional transit around the termini (and other stations). Hyperloop aims for a much smaller goal than HSR, and even at that has an alignment which makes it useless for the goal.