High-Speed Trains...The Future?

Really interesting piece on how the future of travel (especially under 500 miles) could be high-speed trains like the bullet train of Japan, TGV of France, or the new high-speed rail links going in throughout Spain.
The article makes a number of very good points. And in fact, i'm with it most of the way (and I love trains, especially fast ones)
The problem is, there is an elephant in the room here and they don't even touch on it. The reason the rail system in the U.S. is not expanding and getting faster is not for lack of support, desire or cash. In fact, most of the expansions of rail systems recently (especially after the recent gas spikes) have seen sustained increases in ridership; most notably in the NE corridor for Amtrak, and in the regional rail and subway lines around the Northeastern U.S.

No, the problem is simply one of land and NIMBY. Everybody loves the idea of more rail, as long as it doesn't go through their back yard, or near enough that they can hear it. And god forbid it should cut through a wetland, forest, grassland, or any other eco-system.

It's tough for many of us because we like the natural balance also, and it's hard to know where to draw the line and allow some of the nature to be swallowed up by our infrastructure. But personally, I'd rather see more rail lines than more highways, and I'd be willing to bet that it's far better for our environment to shift people onto trains rather than highway cars or even buses (assuming the trains are electrically powered).