[JivecitySTL]

sharkfood is missing the point. First of all, what do you consider a "heavyweight city"? Your definition must be pretty arbitrary, because some of the places you deem "worthy" are smaller than St. Louis (Las Vegas, West Palm Beach, Charlotte, etc.), so I'm not sure I follow your rationale. Secondly, the Sunbelt cities you mention are absolutely worthy of getting in on high-speed rail, but they are also well known to to be some of the most car-centric places on Earth. Would people in those places give up their Hummers and SUVs? Especially in Texas.

I think the biggest push for high-speed rail should be concentrated on the major cities of the Midwest, where decades of disinvestment have eroded the economic vitality that this region once held. This could be a serious opportunity for rebirth. The Midwest has 12 metro areas with a population of 1+ million, and they need to be connected.