China touts itself a winner in high-speed rail stakes

NEW YORK CITY — Last week, People’s Daily, the newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, ran a lengthy analysis of high-speed rail development under the headline, “America’s High-Speed Rail Dream Has Become a Global Joke,” according to a New York Times blog.

"Though America leads in freight rail, its passenger rail conditions are terrible,” the article said, which cites, by way of example, a train ride from Washington to Boston that was scheduled to take between six and seven hours but took 13 hours because of heavy rain.

The People’s Daily article also lists the various obstacles that high-speed rail faces in the United States, including political opposition and environmental concerns. For the full story, click here.