That was my first thought, too. Mediatrons are finally coming.
And it's probably a good time to start avoiding Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
Fast railways are great for distances like 400-600km (they are too big to comfortably drive by car and too small for planes).
Yes. I live in Minneapolis, and must frequently travel to Detroit, via Chicago. Here you have a string of three large cities separated by 250-300mi each. Driving the distance takes a full day which is very difficult with small children, and air travel is monopolized by Delta/NWA with sky-high prices. Even if rail travel gains us back only 25% of the time it takes to drive, we will at least have the freedom to move around a little in transit, visit a dining car, and not have to keep little ones strapped into car seats. Currently, Amtrak takes around 14 hours to go that distance and driving is a little less than 12 hours. I would be happy with a 9 hour rail trip, and the geography is just right for high-speed lines if it continues east to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and joins to the more obvious east coast lines.
Genetics explains why you look like your father, and if you don't, why you should.