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That's too bad. I've taken the train from Denver to Iowa and from Chicago to Iowa several times. Very relaxing and very enjoyable. It's my favorite form of travel. You of course have to accept it takes much, much longer than flying and even driving.

Good to be aware longer train rides might not be as nice.

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Denver to Chicago would be perfect for high speed rail. An express high speed train could beat air travel door to door.

No it wouldn't. The ridership cliff for HSR is around the 3-4 hour mark, or about 500-600 miles--Denver-Chicago is 1,000 miles, well outside that range.

What would work quite well, though, would be something like the Auto Train: you can get an overnight ride that ferries your car and you don't have to drive the thoroughly boring drive of the Great Plains.

That would be great. The drive across Kansas is torture.

By the time you got to the airport and through security theater and on the plane, then cleared for take off, HSR would be stopping in Omaha.

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