The trains almost never go that fast, and even if they do, it&#x27;s for short periods of time. Average speed is the key thing.<p>Why are we only impressed by megafast trains? They aren&#x27;t really cost efficient and probably won&#x27;t be built at all. The best train is the one that exists! 200km&#x2F;h is already probably reaching. Even 150km&#x2F;h means you could go Chicago to Cincinatti in 3 hours (vs 4.5 by car) or San Francisco to LA in under 5 hours (vs 6 hours by car). At 5 hours, that beats the hassle of an airplane, IMO.