This is about linking major metropolitan areas together, not accommodating those who wish to suburbs. One of the central tenants of this plan is that these stations should be in the heart of the cities (as is done in Europe) rather than a major commute away.
Also, I just returned from backpacking in Europe, where we used rail as our primary mode of transport. Security is minimal; among my three trips on rail in Spain, we never had our passports checked and our bags were only scanned once in Barcelona.
This is exactly why there is a lot of opposition to high speed rail in the US. It primarily helps those who live inside major cities. When constituents feel like they are paying for something that they are not benefiting from they will oppose it.
Also, I just returned from backpacking in Europe, where we used rail as our primary mode of transport. Security is minimal; among my three trips on rail in Spain, we never had our passports checked and our bags were only scanned once in Barcelona.