Booming in Europe, high-speed rail sees delays in US
In November the Eurostar bullet-train blew the doors off commuter rail travel, sprinting the 213 miles (343 kilometers) from London to Paris in two hours 15 minutes -- and leaving tortoise-slow US trains in the dust. Over a similar distance -- Washington to New York -- America's lone high-speed train, the Acela Express, takes a full 45 minutes longer.Europe and Asia's impressive advances in train travel -- commercial bullet-trains there routinely hit 200 mph (320 kph) -- have begun to shine a glaring spotlight on the world's wealthiest nation. For decades US passenger trains have played poor cousin to planes and automobiles -- the twin towers of American transport."We are the only advanced country in the world that doesn't have high-speed rail," Democratic US presidential candidate Barack Obama has said.
Last year in France an experimental train gave travelers an eye-popping glimpse of the future when it set a speed record of 357 mph (571 kph). Another dozen countries have projects planned including Iran, which is considering buying Germany's magnetic levitation train that can top 280 mph (448 kph).
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