[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.