The article answers its own question. Why don’t Americans ride trains more? Because the freight trains control most of the track.
Used to be the other way around. And both freight and passenger were faster. Then the federal government came along and got into the transportation business in earnest.
Freight trains are owned by private industry. Amtrak has a monopoly on passenger train travel. If there was competition and private passenger train service, I would gladly travel on Taggart Transcontinental.
In 2007, I took my daughter and her 2 adult kids on a train trip through the NW National Parks. We had a ball but the freight trains rules the rails. We had to pull off the main rails several times to let the freight trains through. We were blessed that we went because GrandLuxe went out of business the next year. We are now planning a trip in the Canadian Rockies. Don’t get me wrong. I think some freight trains need to go through on time but they despise passenger trains. My grandson and I think Christmas in the Rockies would be a great trip. We want my 2 great granddaughters to get a few years older so they can remember the memories we make. They are 5/6 now.
Yes, the article seeks to provide an answer to the question posed by the title. As witnessed by answers here, we see also the effects of government interference and regulation that killed off passenger rail