In the UK, the system is massively fixed to the disadvantage of rail. Not only did much of the final distribution link shut down in the 60s, but since then most of the freight yards necessary to transship between road and rail have been removed and the land sold off.

On top of that, rail is expected to be unconditionally safe, while road is free of such wimpish considerations. I recently travelled on a bus replacement for a cancelled rail service. The driver exceeded the speed limit, tailgated other vehicles, skipped stops and ignored the timetable. A rail driver would have been sacked, and quite probably prosecuted. Even drivers ignoring warnings at level crossings is considered a rail, not a road, problem.

The massive rail subsidy (almost double pre- privatisation) goes straight into the pockets of shareholders and executives without touching the poor passenger, and despite the subsidy, the fares are among the highest in the world.