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Originally Posted by the urban politician
These interstates also serve trucking and freight commerce. So access to resources are another reason to run large highways throughout the country.
HSR is literally a passenger service that only serves cities. That's fine and all, but again, it would only make sense for dense, large, walkable cities that are already fairly close to eachother.
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Like say, Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis, Portland to Seattle, so on. This proposal beefs up the national "snail rail" network, and provides a nice template for getting higher ridership (and higher awareness) along future HSR corridors.
To take Minneapolis as an example, the enhanced service in the OP is multiple daily trains to Chicago, perhaps using Madison as an intermediate stop. Also, getting the train back to Duluth. That's three high frequency routes from MSP, relieving the air routes. Meanwhile, the Twin Cities have ambitious expansion plans for their light rail, which will enhance connectivity between Random Lake Suburb and the station in downtown St. Paul (as well as to MSP airport), which takes more cars off the expressways into downtown...
I digress somewhat, but this proposal isn't flinging tax dollars at getting a Shinkansen running through Bumbledee, Nebraska. It's about putting Amtrak and thus intercity rail on a firmer footing, and bulking up feeder networks.