I wish that weren't so. For all the neglect and inconvenience, an AMTRAK journey from Cleveland to DC is wonderful. Getting commuters and long-distance travelers off the roads and on to rail would really help keeping roads less congested. Today in the US, passenger rail doesn't even have its own tracks....it depends on commercial users for access.
Look at the NE corridor. My experience in the DC/Baltimore segment is that rail is very efficient, quite comfortable (compared to busses or planes), and has a lot of scheduled trains. It can be done. One can't help but suspect that pols like keeping lots of construction deep-pocket interests happy with projects to (sort of) maintain the roads.
Boy I have found otherwise.
Trains in the northeast are old, dirty and noisy. they just are so limiting today in a world of suburbs and exburbs. The more abailbe buses are the less the road congestion, big comfortable interstate buses are worth every penny and run for a fraction of the costs of rail.
We have a remarkable private inter city bus system up here that goes to airports and has local as well as non stop service. It is just begining to grow, I wish it well. It coompetes with public funded trains and does really well.