[nharada]

Metro and subway systems in the US are to me basically comparable to systems abroad. I'd argue most US city rails are better than Berlin's.

Where you immediately notice is longer distance commuter and cross-country lines. I often take the train from Chicago to Detroit, and every time we stop partway for ~15-30 mins because the company can't run trains in both directions on the tracks. Even when we are moving, most of the time we can't come close to our top speed of 130 mph because we aren't on high speed track. Compare this to EU trains which run across the country non-stop at top speeds of 180 mph. Granted, not everywhere has high quality service, but most major cities do, which definitely can't be said about the US.

[kuschku]

Here is a map of high speed rail in europe: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/High_Spe...

The <200km/h category in Germany, at least, is all 180km/h or higher.

[dkhenry]

That I can agree with. I don't often ride long distance rail because even on the Northeast line which is I think the line with the highest ridership you often have to stop for freight trains and other trains.

[rayiner]

I've never had to stop for a freight train on the northeast (between DC and NYC anyway), because Amtrak owns those tracks. You do sometimes have to stop for local commuter trains that share the tracks, or (more commonly) an acela overtaking a regional. By far the most common reason for delay, though, is the aging equipment.