> There is no way you can make a viable passenger route between Chicago and LA; the distance is just way too large.
This is like arguing that the Trans-Siberian Railway is not viable because the distance is just way too large: the Trans-Siberian Railway is not even a high-speed railway.
It’s not viable. The United States is too wealthy for passengers to waste days on a train. They’ll simply fly in 4 hours. Furthermore, that Chicago to Los Angeles train already exists and runs daily.
The Trans-Siberian railway is about being able to move things from the Asian ports in the far east to the population centers in the far west. It has everything to do with a strategic defense decision by Russia, and was commissioned in an effort to allow imperialist Russia to wage war. To compare the Trans-Siberian Railway that is primarily used for freight to a passenger line from Chicago to LA is comparing apples and oranges.
This is like arguing that the Trans-Siberian Railway is not viable because the distance is just way too large: the Trans-Siberian Railway is not even a high-speed railway.