PROSPECT FOR THE HIGH-SPEED RAIL DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
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Admittedly, such transportation modes as cars (land) and planes (air) bring considerable economic benefits to the economy. However, if small-capacity transportation modes are still in dominant use, they will pose threats to the ecological environment because of lack in unit space usage efficiency. [more space occupied with more energy used] Therefore, the way out is to achieve sustainable transportation, characterized by a low environmental impact. The reason why the topic of the high-speed rail development in the United States is appealing to me is it still has no advanced high-speed rail system despite the leading comprehensive science and technology throughout the world. It is a meaningful topic because the HSR is one of the most exciting technological advances in railway transportation history. With its high speed and remarkable comfort, the HSR has its strong supporters worldwide, not only in the countries where the HSR lines are available (e.g. Japan, Germany) but also in those countries where the HSR lines have not yet been in construction (e.g. US). More than half of the Americans respond that they are likely to take the HSR service for business or leisure travel. (TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, 2015) Historically, the railway was the backbone of the United States, but why it slowly became neglected remained a mystery. Hence, I would like to discuss the practicability of HSR system in the United States from the aspects of development history, economic geography, and policy implementation.