So you’re saying that US railroads have to be owned by the federal government to be deregulated? That is absurd. The example of Conrail (the other federal railroad) speaks to the very opposite. Same goes for the USRA, the federal takeover of all railroads that was a disaster until they were put back in private hands.
No, my point is that Federal regulation of the railroad industry is so broad and intrusive that it makes no sense to use the railroad industry as an example of a successful application of private ownership of transportation assets.