Comment by leakycap
> 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
So I guess we have to not only hire the foreign companies, but also listen to them.