According to this article, Brazil’s transport ministry is considering whether to tender bids for a high-speed train linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Once (OK, if) the bullet train goes into operation, travel time would be just under an hour and a half, compared with the five hours it currently takes to drive between the two cities.
Initial studies for the project estimate a total investment of US$6 billion would be required. That’s about how much the U.S. federal and state governments spend in a year on subsidizing the ethanol industry and the corn that goes into making it.
If the U.S. is going to emulate Brazil, maybe it should look at how the latter country is managing its transport system and not just at how it is fueling its cars.
