OK, sure, but besides modern transportation that is fast, convenient, energy efficient and popular. And it's more environmentally friendly? Commies.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood boarded a train at Madrid's Atocha station along with Spanish Development Minister Jose Blanco for an hour-and-a-quarter trip to Zaragoza, a stop on the line heading to Barcelona.As an avid train user, the system over here is so much easier for business (and personal) travel compared to flying. I wish the Eurostar between Paris and London could have more consistent pricing because it's such a time saver. No miserable journey to the airport and faster security lines but the prices can range from 50€ up to 400€ each way. Inside France the prices are much more reasonable with a bit of advanced booking. It's possible to do what would take us 10 hours (maybe more) in a car in 2.5 hours. Not too bad at all.
Lahood has been touring Europe this week, riding a TGV bullet-train in France and attending a transportation conference in Germany that also featured officials from the German railway system, Deutsche Bahn.
Obama last month unveiled an $8 billion plan to build a high-speed rail network in the U.S. and upgrade existing services. The U.S. president cited Spain, France, China and Japan as countries with systems for his nation to emulate.
