What if the owners of the tracks also operated the passenger railroads, or were invested in those that did?
They would have a direct financial stake in making sure their trains ran on time.
I imagine a car load of human passengers would have MUCH higher revenue and profit than the bulk cargo they haul now.
No, freight was always more profitable. That’s part of why RRs started dropping passenger service.
You cannot fit too many paying customers into a car. However, you can fit a whole carload of valuable merchandise on one. So you can squeeze more revenue out of that freight than out of even a “full” passenger car. Never mind the condition the cars must be in. Minimal for freight, maximum for live human customers.