This country HAD high speed rail.... starting in 1934!

Streamliners, The Classic Passenger Train
M-10000 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hiawatha (passenger train) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On one stretch, the Twin Cities Hiawatha had a scheduled speed over 80 mph.

Sadly, the streamliners eventually succumbed to competition from ... the automobile. Why anyone thinks high speed trains would fare better today is beyond me.