The populations in many states depend on the rail system. I think many commenting here have never been on train, certainly not Amtrak or the European rail systems.

China is investing BILLIONS in new high speed rail. The maglev trains there and in Japan are modern miracles.

To the majority of the country, air travel isn’t the best choice. It is either far from many towns and prohibitively expensive for most. You might find air travel specials in major cities, but not everywhere else.

Which highway makes a profit?

Amtrak is an absolute necessity to cities and I’m surprised that no one pays more attention to this. Amtrak actually owns or helps operate the commuter rail systems for many major cities who could absolutely NOT manage without it. They aren’t just a long distance carrier.