Us: We Want High Speed Rail! Amtrak: Best I Can Do Is A 48 Hour One Way Trip From Chicago To Miami

Some companies just *get* it. Amtrak....is not one of those companies. I take Amtrak a lot. I'm a rail rider if you know what I mean. But the thing is, Amtrak has no competition in the train game. It's them or take a bus, and buddy, I ain't taking a bus. So I shell out all my money to take the train from NYC to DC and while it's fine...like, it's a .275 hitter who goes on the IL 9 times a year...it makes you wonder how good rail travel could be if private companies were allowed to compete with Amtrak. But unfortunately that is not possible in the USA. We are stuck with slow trains and overpriced fares, $12 beers, and WiFi that doesn't work. 

So I say all that to say it's hilarious that Amtrak thought they were giving us something special when they announced you can now take a train from Chicago to Miami! A mere 48 hour train ride! How exciting! And it's not like they are using special trains or anything for it- it's just combining multiple routes that already exist into one route. They aren't giving everyone a sleeper bed and meals, just if you book a special room or first class. So basically they are offering you the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit for 48 straight hours and eat pre-packaged turkey sandwiches for more money and 45 more hours than it takes to fly. What a deal! 

Every 6 months or so a tweet about high speed rail goes viral. About how we're the only country without it and blah blah blah.

Would be awesome if we stopped expanding highways or sending people to space and focused on getting people from point A to point B on this here Earth. Everyone wants it. Everyone needs it. I'm sure the airlines would be pissed because they wouldn't be able to fuck us over as much, but fuck the airlines! Unfortunately though, the best they can do is a 48 hour trip. Guess we'll try again in 10 years.