The US needs to get in the business of nationalizing rail routes that are unprofitable/undesirable/underutilized for freight service but hold great promise for passenger connections. The remainder of freight business could be leased access to one or more freight railroad concessions. I just don't see how there is a way forward to modern higher speed or high speed passenger service when the rail infrastructure is being held captive by private freight railroads who's priorities are nearly completely incompatible with modern passenger service, i.e. degraded track classification limiting speeds, an industry wide resistance to scheduled trains, outrageous demands in order to accommodate passenger trains that are more like extortion, resistance to electrification, and the list goes on an on.
If this makes me a socialist, well I guess I'm a socialist.
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