Railroads did not die a natural death because they were inefficient. The govt. sabotaged them with taxes, regulations, and union favoritism, then the govt. "had to" take them over "to save them." Exactly what the govt. is now doing with the health care industry. First they cripple the private system, then that becomes the pretext for socialism.
The truth is that the government wanted to benefit the airplane companies, for military considerations, by boosting air travel over train travel, out of fear that airline makers couldn’t stay viable in peacetime.
I disagree very much.
Cars and motorcycles represent individual freedom and prosperity.
Public transportation represents the socialist quest to control the populace.
When is the last time you carried five pieces of plywood with you on the train returning home from the hardware store?