The only way high speed rail transit would make sense and be worth the
taking of land by eminent domain and building cost is if the trains
could run at 150+ mph between two or three cities, hours apart along the
route. That's just not economically possible given the population
density in most places and especially along the northeast corridor.
It's been studied and rejected as being viable many times. Yeah, the
buzz words sound great but the reality isn't there.
Flying, as horrible as it is, is the only viable option.