Unfortunately long-distance train rides in Australia are made unnecessarily expensive by our legacy infrastructure. We're an almost entirely "flat" country, but

Unfortunately long-distance train rides in Australia are made unnecessarily expensive by our legacy infrastructure. We're an almost entirely "flat" country, but our train lines curve around on themselves constantly. The trips could be shorter and cheaper, but alas, nobody can afford to travel like this unless they're wealthy. I can't comment on Amtrak too much, but I've heard it's fairly poorly run?