Since When is 80 MPH "High Speed Rail"?

Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune touts the "progress" in the St. Paul to Chicago $3 billion high speed rail project.  A route between St. Paul and LaCrosse, Wisconsin has been selected.  The Star Tribune reports,

"Advocates say upgrading the existing track could produce top speeds ranging from 80 to 110 miles per hour and cut more than two hours from a Twin Cities-Chicago trip."

First of all, the last time I traveled from the Twin Cities to Chicago, I traveled by commercial jet:  the whole trip took less than two hours.

Second of all, I just checked the web site for Megabus, the inter-city passenger bus service.  A one-way ticket from Minneapolis to Chicago went for $23 for an eight-hour trip.  I doubt that high speed rail can complete with that sort of price, not with a cost of $3 billion.

Third of all, what high speed?  80 miles per hour?  The Japanese "bullet train" travels at speeds of more than 150 mph.  In Europe, France's TGV line reaches average speeds of more than 170 mph.

I'm afraid taxpayers are being sold a bill of goods on this one.  The real purpose of high speed rail is to appeal to the so-called "creative class."  Creative class guru Richard Florida writes,

"It’s been hard to justify high-speed rail (HSR) projects in terms of conventional cost-benefit analysis.  But, it may be time to rethink – and broaden -the way we think of the benefits of HSR."

Sorry.  I'm a stickler for those "conventional" cost-benefit analyses.