Map of high-speed rail lines planned for US

I would love to see effective high speed rail in this country. I'm not so big on air travel.

Does this plan create new tracks that are solely used for transportation? Or is there cargo too? Because I know one of the biggest hassles with Amtrak - at least in the west - is that cargo carriers own the tracks and get priority.

I'm also kind of surprised that there isn't a high speed link for the three networks. That's probably asking too much, but if I could get to SF or Chicago from the PNW at high speed I'd be a happy guy.

While I'm glad to see us expanding our rail lines, why is there an east-west link? I can't see rail surpassing air travel in this case in terms of price, and time is clearly not in rail's favor for long trips (like it is for short trips, which helps the high prices of rail slide by).