>>1329464>Five citiesToo few. The cities which *will* have to have HSR connections in Germany will be:
Berlin
Munich
Nuremberg
Hamburg
Bremen
Düsseldorf
Cologne
Frankfurt a.M.
Stuttgart
That's at least 8 cities. That's before we debate places like Leipzig, Hannover, Dresden, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Essen, Bielefeld and Augsburg.
VDE-8 was an important project. The issue isn't necessarily connecting Berlin to Munich. In fact, the stretch from Berlin to the high speed line is done on an upgraded line to Leipzig first. The name itself gives a hint: Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit. These are projects to connect the East with the West. They covered railways, Autobahnen and a waterway.
I doubt the people going from Erfurt to Leipzig are the "elite" as you say.
