It's a little disingenuous to suggest that rail is a one-and-done affair. The UK does have plenty of track: 20,000 miles worth, along with 6,000 level crossing

It's a little disingenuous to suggest that rail is a one-and-done affair. The UK does have plenty of track: 20,000 miles worth, along with 6,000 level crossings, 30,000 bridges and viaducts, 2,500 stations... Track needs constant maintenance through ballast redistribution and compaction to maintain track geometry; the rail itself needs to be ground regularly to maintain its shape; points systems need to be maintained, as well as signaling systems, earthworks and embankments, even vegetation. Network Rail spends billions of GBP every year maintaining the railways.