I keep reading about "covid killing public transit" when the true US national public transit network, commercial aviation, is the most overloaded I've ever seen it. It's just a regular Sunday in October, but both DEN and IAH were overcrowded madhouses today.
And a very large fraction of the flights those people are going to take could be easily served with an off-the-shelf high speed train. The carbon reduction is just a bonus.
There may be a self-selection factor at work. I'm a transit user and also pro mask and pro vax. I think a lot of us have that in common. I also avoid unnecessary flying -- I even took the train, overnight, sleeper compartment -- when I needed to be in the bay area this summer. By contrast, the people packing the aircraft are a different set.
