California will spend 9 trillion dollars, 20 years, and enormous amounts of drama and still have slower trains than Spain. 

But sure make fun of siestas and lazy Europeans and so on. Getting lots done in that frantic American workday of yours? How much of it was spent stuck in traffic?

Average train speed by country:

Measuring things at @spindl.

My FID is lower than all but 52 of you.

It's interesting to see the contrast between different countries' infrastructure priorities and the stereotypes we hold. While it's true that Spain and other European countries have invested significantly in high-speed rail, it's also worth considering how different societal values and priorities shape these outcomes.