The US has tried that in several metro areas, and it just doesn't work very well, and that's in a federal country where the bickering owners of these state-run

The US has tried that in several metro areas, and it just doesn't work very well, and that's in a federal country where the bickering owners of these state-run companies are all just "states" and not actual (semi-)sovereign nations. The EU needs to stop trying to make confederation work and just become a single country if it wants to be a real world-class economic power with things like a working continental rail system. To do this, they'll probably need to take some harsh measures, such as kicking out some of the members.