http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/5/214155/1020#8
Regular rail is great for freight, but not people.
Light rail is the ticket for people moving. Put it in tubes and power it with renewable electric power. It can go faster in a tube. No cows, deer, or cars on the tracks. The tracks can be electrified with no short circuting due to rain.
No ice or snow on the tracks. Tracks on the sides and top of the tube for a tri-rail stability. It could beat airplanes as far as speed over a lot longer range. Could it beat the French train? No doubt, and in a safe manner.
The tubes can go under roads and buildings and other obstacles. Have the tubes in pairs, one for each direction, buried in the freeway median for instance.
Smaller trains from local areas could link up into larger ones for cross country travel. Companies could lease their own train cars. Just like they do jets. Light rail stations could be like miniature airports, sized to fit the market, just like airports are.
With broadband inside the tubes the passengers would be connected. For work or entertainment.
As local cars joined long distance trains the passengers would have access to food and sleeping cars.
Come to think of it, why not move some of the other cargo now sent by air in tubular trains? Persihable foods, mail, fedex, and UPS stuff. Regular rail can haul the heavy freight. This would help the light rail pay its way. As it helps air travel. The first commercial airplanes carried mail.
