Montana Needs High-Speed Train Travel

Smaller high-speed rail projects are popping up across the United States. California, Texas, Nevada, the Southeast and the Northwest all have high-speed rail projects in the making according to Smart Cities Dive. Some of those are only proposed but a few are under construction. Florida already launched its Brightline high-speed rail link connecting Orlando and Florida "with the fastest American trains outside of the Northeast." 

We have the technology, so why don't we build more high-speed trains? The benefits are obvious:

• They're fast. (180 mph up to 220 mph)
• They're cheaper than airlines... I hope.
• They allow me to sit back, relax and enjoy a long trip instead of white-knuckling my steering wheel through snow passes.

I'm sure there are some negatives and you'll probably rather take a flight from New York to Los Angeles, but for those shorter regional trips why not take a cheaper train? I saw this map circulate on Twitter recently.

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There is a faint grey line running through Montana. Is that part of the faux U.S. High Speed Rail System or is Montana's your run-of-the-mill Amtrak train? Either way, if this high-speed rail system develops (which it won't but for the sake of this article play along please) then that bad boy better run through Montana. It's expensive to fly out of here and it's a marathon to drive anywhere.

I see it now: It runs from Seattle to Minneapolis with stops along Missoula, Bozeman and Billings. It's perfect.