In Italy, a round trip ticket on the fast train from Milan to Rome is 190€. An EasyJet round trip is about 150€. One is government sponsored, guess which?
High Speed Rail is not a bad idea in principle, but in practice, the numbers don’t add up. I live about 180 miles from Washington DC. It cost me $30, $5 in parking, and $10 for the Metro in gas to take my family there for the day. Taking Amtrak, which is already subsidised, would cost about $70+ per person plus the Metro passes. A no-brainer, but if the rail option was there for about $10 per person instead of $70, we can talk.