Agreed, but you could start trying to build out that rail system right now and it'll still be decades before it meaningfully changes the need for car traffic (even then, look at Europe, cars are still quite popular and necessary in many places despite a significantly better passenger rail system). EVs are already a huge improvement on the status quo. And there's no reason we can't do both.
I think there's appetite for it to happen. There's a new rail line going in between the LA area and Las Vegas. Amtrak is now running a new route between Minneapolis and Chicago. I'm sure there are more like this.
Certainly there are challenges with rail in some of the more sparsely populated areas, where it doesn't necessarily make sense. I think it will start by building out regional networks. It certainly won't happen by optimizing for NYC to LA.
