Here in the USA it was the Interstate Commerce Commission with all their bureaucatic regulations that put the railroads out of business.
Also, Union featherbeading had a lot to do with it as well. As somone who is afraid to fly I traveled the rails many times between NYC and Miami. In the pre-Amtrak days, there were 2 railway companies that ran the route, the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seabord Air Line. These later merged into the Seabord Coast Line. When it came time to collect the tickets there were 3 men assigned to this simple task. One conductor collected the ticket. He handed it to the trainman who punched a hole in it. He in turn handed it to the passenger agent who put it into a hat. Today, the Amtrak conductor does all this by himself. Poor fellow, he must be very overworked.

                                                   SOL