USA railroad system

Yes, but the problem is that U.S. railroads are not socialized like all other countries, and are all private enterprises (with government subsidies to Amtrak).  That is why the freight routes are so limited and only a few cities have passenger service.  It would be nice to have rail service everywhere the expressways run.

I think they should but the main problem with the railway system is that it's quite slower than a flight. It should be a joint solution where for closer destinations people opt to take a train and for longer ones a flight.

I think it's essential to move in that direction if we want to avoid bigger problems later. 

The present system is still pretty good for trains. 

The main reason people do not use it is the timing for logistics.  Planes and short jaunts with transport trucks are still good for commercial shipping.

Why would switching to electrical trains change the present use of planes and trucks instead of trains.  It wouldn't beat it on price, and it wouldn't beat it on fuel costs (trains are cheaper for fuel costs and leave less of a footprint as it is).

In the end, not a good idea.  Perhaps if we stopped using planes and transport trucks and used trains a bit more.  Otherwise the cost of switching with no economic or environmental benefits seems odd. 

If the concern is for workers meeting together, whatever happened to telecommuting or video conferencing?  Or even to shopping locally for services?

Really, much of this workarounds people are proposing do not get to the heart of the matter that people no longer need to work in cube farms to add value to firms. 

clearly. something like JR (Japan Rails)