The stakes are high in the search for a big deal In many regions in Asia and Europe, a monumental transportation shift is taking place. High-speed rail, bolstered by new technology and expanding networks, is offering comparable service to airlines on longer and longer trips.
Routes like Paris-to-London and Beijing-to-Shanghai have become easier and more accessible, ferrying passengers at more than 200 miles per hour. And promising developments in maglev technology, which could propel trains to top speeds of 373 miles per hour, would further extend the reach of rapid rail travel.
Compare that to the rail system in the United States: On the fastest service in the country?the Acela route in the northeast?it?s not uncommon to see auto traffic outpace locomotives on stretches that run parallel to highways. America?s infrastructure woes don?t end with rail systems, as anybody who has tried to navigate the New York subway system or fly into JFK airport recently would tell you. The most recent Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers said that due to deferred maintenance and poor investment, the country would need to spend $3.6 trillion to repair our country?s crumbling roads, rails, pipes, power grids. And without urgent action, these vital systems are set to get worse across the board.

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According to Henry Cisneros, a former San Antonio Mayor, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and a partner in...