The plan for California high speed rail was to replace plane flights and long distance car travel, not to have frequent stops (at least 40 miles/65 km between stops, sometimes longer). Only the major cities.
Yes, that was the plan. The raison d'être, even. But if it ever gets built, it will be obliged for political reasons to stop so often as to make it an unattractive alternative to flying from SF to LA or vice versa.
