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There are a number of reasons: * For most of the country, cities are really far apart. * The US has excellent freight rail network. They lease their lines to

There are a number of reasons: * For most of the country, cities are really far apart. * The US has excellent freight rail network. They lease their lines to Amtrak, but they only have secondary priority. Passenger trains often have to wait behind slow freight, or even allow freight trains to pass them. * After WW2, the US aggressively built the interstate highway system, which simultaneously caused suburbanization and killed intercity passenger rail. Like the other commenter says, the Northeast Corridor between DC and Boston is an exception, as the cities are closer, and there isn't as much freight traffic, and the highways have a lot of car and truck traffic.

secabeen 5y ago
> The US has excellent freight rail network. They lease their lines to Amtrak, but they only have secondary priority. Passenger trains often have to wait behind slow freight, or even allow freight trains to pass them. This is only partially true, as I understand it. Amtrak has highest priority, as long as it stays within its schedule windows. When two trains pass as scheduled, Amtrak always gets the main line, and the freight has to wait in a siding. However, if Amtrak is delayed, and misses its window, then it has to wait, as freight does not have to give up its spot and be delayed to let amtrak make up time.