[tzs]

> Furthermore, HSR also requires some level of last mile connectivity by local mass public transit. There is none of that in places like Texas, and again the public imagination has not moved on from some kind of 1950s car culture utopia, thats about "freedom".

Yet somehow millions of people a year manage to fly to Texas without then becoming stranded at the airport due to not having been able to bring their car. This proves that either you don't need to connect the end points of long distance transportation systems to local mass transit, or Texas in fact does know how and has done so for airports. If the latter, then why could they not do the same for HSR?

[Shawnj2]

People can fly to Texas because they rent a car or use taxis/rideshare once they arrive. Houston in particularly has absolutely atrocious walkability or transit lmao

[tzs]

People who arrive by HST should also be able to rent a car or use taxis/rideshare.

Assuming ticket prices are similar to Amtrak Acela prices or current non-HST Amtrak Texas prices it will be a little faster than flying for about 1/3 the cost. It will be almost 3x as fast as driving for a bit more than the fuel cost for the drive.

If there are enough people who want to travel between those two cities to do the kind of things that people fly to those cities for, then it should be viable and successful.