Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
High Speed Rail

“Mad Men” Stars Have a New Product to Pitch: High-Speed Rail

Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell on the hit series "Mad Men", and Rich Sommer, who plays Harry Crane, have teamed up with U.S. PIRG to make a video about high-speed rail. In it, Campbell suggests an ad campaign for trains, which Crane finds ridiculous -- trains make so much sense; why would you need to sell them? It ends with a call to action.

U.S. PIRG developed the video with FunnyOrDie.com, where people can basically post anything they think is funny and viewers vote on whether or not it's funny enough. The high-speed rail video is "a way to reach new audiences and build excitement for high-speed rail projects around the country," according to Phineas Baxandall at U.S. PIRG.

Meanwhile, the Regional Plan Association yesterday released a less funny but still worthwhile video called "Why Build High-Speed Rail in the Northeast," making the argument that projected population growth makes rail investment an imperative.

Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell on the hit series "Mad Men", and Rich Sommer, who plays Harry Crane, have teamed up with U.S. PIRG to make a video about high-speed rail. In it, Campbell suggests an ad campaign for trains, which Crane finds ridiculous -- trains make so much sense; why would you need to sell them?

Why Build High-Speed Rail in the Northeast? from Regional Plan Association on Vimeo.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

This Week In Livable Streets

Metro meetings, Marmion Way, Jessica Meaney, Long Beach bridge alert, and more

February 17, 2026

Baldwin Park Greenway is Now Officially Open

The 2.3 mile walk/bike path circumvents the city’s busiest streets, and is slated to expand to a total of five miles in the years to come.

February 17, 2026

Updates on L.A. City Stopping Resurfacing, Instead Doing “Large Asphalt Repair”

Bureau of Street Services GM states that budget cuts forced them to pivot to "large asphalt repair." That practice ends up resurfacing streets partially, ineffectively, and inefficiently.

February 17, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines

ICE, rain, Metro, L.A. mayor race, LAX, Inglewood, Pasadena, Measure HLA, Bell Gardens, Expo Park, car-nage, high-speed rail, and more

February 17, 2026

Friday’s Headlines

ICE, WeHo K Line, HUD housing, clean-ups, bikes on stairs, BBB, Long Beach, Irvine, car-nage and more

February 13, 2026
See all posts