High-speed rail update

In his State of the Union speech last January, Pres. Obama proposed that the US emulate China's high-speed rail program:

China is building faster trains and newer airports. Meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, they gave us a "D." . . . .

Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail, which could allow you go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying - without the pat-down. As we speak, routes in California and the Midwest are already underway.

Meanwhile, back in reality, Charles Lane writes (hat tip: Hot Air) in the Washington Post that China's high speed rail program has collapsed into economic morass of debt, corruption, and unmet promises.   They are even abandoning the promise of "high speed":

On April 13, the government cut bullet-train speeds 30 mph to improve safety, energy efficiency and affordability.

A good role model for America? Not really.

As an aside, Pres. Obama cited the California high-speed rail project. It is known locally as the "train to nowhere."  He also cited the lack of patdowns as an advantage.  His TSA chief, however, is already considering extending pat-downs to subways and trains.