Passenger rail was economically successful in the US through the 19th and early 20th centuries when population was much lower. The very successful Japanese mod

Passenger rail was economically successful in the US through the 19th and early 20th centuries when population was much lower. The very successful Japanese model is that railway companies buy land and develop it, and the railway adds value to that land. But it's hard to compete when the government subsidizes and legally mandates roads and not railroads.