Comment by abeppu
I know it would be attacked politically, but I wish in the US we would be more open to hiring foreign firms for these kinds of projects. Could we have high-speed rail if we just asked some French or Japanese company to build it for us? And we should structure contracts with them in a way that keeps the plans from being changed for political reasons. "Sorry state senator, we can't alter the route to pass through that town without re-opening negotiations which might cost billions."
> Could we have high-speed rail if we just asked some French or Japanese company to build it for us?
No. Please see SNCF (French rail company)'s involvement in California's high speed rail project.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/us/california-high-speed-...
October 9, 2022
"How California's Bullet Train Went Off the Rails"
The (foreign) company's recommendations [...] were cast aside, said Dan McNamara, a career project manager for SNCF