[osugunner]

One thing that I don't see mentioned enough is the evolution of self-driving cars. Plenty of people talk about induced demand and high-speed rail, but I think fail to see the future of commuting. High-speed rail makes sense in some areas, in other areas it doesn't seem to make as much sense, especially if traffic/congestion can be solved with autonomously connected vehicles. High speed rail has always been a massive undertaking and expensive proposition and they seem especially stifled by eminent domain issues. It won't be long until I can sit in my autonomous car which communicates with other vehicles on the road in order to maintain a steady flow of traffic. Maybe not a fast as high-speed rail but almost just as convenient possibly even more so. Not to mention our infrastructure is seemingly already set up for it. Even for longer travel, I love the train as much as anyone but traveling by air just seems much more efficient. Maybe I'm a bit short-sided living on the west coast, but I can't help but think high-speed rail is only appropriate in certain areas at best.