[inglor_cz]

Often, because some entrenched interests stand in the way.

Famously, NYC builds new subway tunnels very expensively, about three times more expensively than Paris. What stands in the way of a substantial cost reduction? Many factors, including local unions that defend their lucrative turf.

The French withdrew from the project of the Californian High-Speed Rail blaming total governmental dysfunction and comparing Californian public sector negatively to Morocco, where a French-built HSR actually was built successfully.

[mschuster91]

Well, Morocco can hardly be called a democracy [1]. It's easier to (literally) bulldoze through obstacles when you're a kingdom looking for a fancy toy for the ruler to show off, compared to building infrastructure in a democracy.

[1] https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/538683/umfrag...

[inglor_cz]

Still, plenty of democracies managed what California couldn't, and built a useful HSR network.

Which in Cali would mean SF to LA, and that is probably not going to happen.

[mschuster91]

Many of these projects were started in times where the needs of the infrastructure had priority over local objections and environmental protection laws were not much of a thing though. There's a reason most of Europe's rail network is decades, sometimes centuries old, and there hasn't been much new construction for a loooong time.

[inglor_cz]

"There's a reason most of Europe's rail network is decades, sometimes centuries old, and there hasn't been much new construction for a loooong time."

I beg to differ. There is quite a lot of HSR construction in Europe going on right now.

Italy: Brescia-Verona, Verona-Vicenza, Vicenza-Padua, the Brenner Basis Tunnel to Austria, Turin-Lyon, Naples-Bari, Palermo-Catania-Messina

France: Bordeaux-Toulouse, Lyon-Turin to Italy

Spain: Murcia-Almería, the Basque Y, Burgos–Vitoria-Gasteiz, Madrid-Extremadura

Austria: Koralmbahn, Semmering Basis Tunnel

Germany-Denmark: Fehmarn Tunnel

UK: London-Birmingham

The Baltic States: Rail Baltica

All in active construction right now. Some with delays, as usual.