I’ve been following the high-speed-rail saga for a while now (Hoppe, “High-speed Rail,” Jan. 30-Feb. 6). I’m old enough to remember when we HAD trains! And I’ve lived in Europe for almost 30 years, where you can catch a train every hour or less going anywhere you want. They aren’t all high-speed.

In Indiana — indeed in the USA — let’s just get TRAINS ... running more than once a day, on existing tracks. High-speed requires entirely new right-of-way and tracks. Amtrak is barely surviving; how do we expect the billions that high-speed requires.

The USA must also realize that nowhere in the world does any public transit — train, bus, plane — make a PROFIT! Too much capital investment. Yet our Congress insists on profit ...

Privatization surely doesn’t help either ...

Bottom line: Let’s get realistic about this pitiful situation. Eight or ten trains a day Indy-Chicago — local and express. Light rail in Indy to the airport. Many more buses. Etc.