A story of US transportation Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail. This trend has continued, and not the least because highways require continuous maintenance, while the US's growing population demands more lanes and roads to relieve congestion.

The primary reason the U.S. lacks a robust passenger rail system like Europe or Japan is a fundamental prioritization of freight over passengers. The U.S. actually has one of the most efficient rail networks in the world, but it is optimized for hauling massive amounts of cargo (grain, coal, shipping containers) over vast distances. Because private freight companies own the majority of the tracks, passenger services like Amtrak are often delayed by slow-moving cargo trains. Additionally, the geographical layout of the U.S.—with its sprawling suburbs and immense distances between major cities—makes high-speed rail incredibly expensive to build compared to the existing highway system and the highly developed domestic aviation industry. Cultural factors, such as the American emphasis on the freedom of the automobile and the post-WWII investment in the Interstate Highway System, further pushed rail into the background of public transit.