I like trains and agree with a lot you say here, but trying to be a devil's advocate... American cities are a lot more sparse than those in Europe/Japan, right?

I like trains and agree with a lot you say here, but trying to be a devil's advocate... American cities are a lot more sparse than those in Europe/Japan, right? e.g. if you're in Silicon Valley, won't you still need 1 hour to drive to SF? Even if there's a station in, like, Mountain View, isn't it still 30 minutes from places like San Jose? Once you arrive in LA, isn't likely that you'll need a car again from the station to your destination? And also for eating, commuting and other daily necessities?