One of the most difficult things to get an organization to do is adopt a different technology, as you have to admit that you didn't think of it first. On a country wide level, the process is even more daunting. Japan was really humbled by World War II, so when they desperately needed to improve their crappy industry in the 1950's, they invited an American expert (W. Edwards Deming) to teach them about quality. In Europe, with so many countries bordering each other, if one gets a good idea, the other ones notice and feel no shame in copying what works well.

In contrast, Americans have no humility at all, still proudly proclaiming that they have the best health care in the world. They see no need to adopt anything foreign, except foreign wage scales so they can buy crap from Wal-Mart. I don't think American companies will be doing HSR, because they have no clue what is involved. The relatively small number of American railroad workers are specialized in moving freight, which is as different from passenger service as FedEx is from Delta airlines.

European countries have a 65 year history of continuous improvements to both passenger and freight railways. World War II left the railroads in a rough state, but they were repaired, rerouted, and improved into reliable public infrastructure. I remember taking the train in the US as a small child, but 50 years of neglect has left the US at the point the Europeans were at just after the war -- with a devastated system. It would take the US several years to catch up to even the former Soviet Union, where the trains are slow, but at least they are reliable.