And have been maintained to 1870's standards ever since. The Texas, and US, railways are a disgrace. There are many reasons. The deregulation of trucking had an impact. Air freight had an impact. The consolidation of the rail line companies in the '70s and '80s was not well planned. Federal subsidies for Amtrack hurt the railways. Most states have not addressed the problem.
That's true. Most states still treat the railroads as independent corporations with unlimited resources even where the Feds or the State have taken over.
This is part of the problem of decaying infrastructure in the US. We can't just sell the farm and move west like our ancestors did. It's a new ballgame.