Pax trains are 19th century solution looking for a problem. In a format where the land they require can actually move more than an equivalent footprint of traffic lanes, that's too cozy for Americans and the demand isn't there for the product. Want to go faster than highway, fly commercial - or wait a few years you can Uber-drone.

Hopefully all the junk light rail or HSR we are building now can be useful for freight some day - something that actually yet could have a hope for transportation relevancy. But more likely they'll be like the last dinky canals we built in the 1830's.