Question for the Group: If the existing rail lines set up some nice passenger cars on the rail around the country, would anyone actually ride them?
What you have described is known as "Amtrak" and it's pretty sucky because it attempts to use private freight rail for passenger use. Despite sucking I'm still glad we have it because it's better than nothing.
It has been shown that even as sucky as Amtrak is, some people do in fact ride it. Amtrak doesn't come to my city at all, so I can't.
Generally if the trains went where people want to go, then people ride them.
The speeds would be relatively slow and have limited destinations.
Yes, but why do we shoot so low? Why can't the trains be fast, and go many places? Why are we the most (formerly) great country in the world and we are talking about aspiring to crappy slow train running on freight rails?
Not to mention rail yards are not always in the best areas of cities.
Which is why passenger rail is universally separate from freight rail. Passenger stations need to be where people want to go. One example is when I lived in Dallas, there was a DART station right by TI blvd where I worked. I was able to take it right to the courthouse. No traffic or parking. One less car on 75.
Only way I could see it work is if a city had an existing mass transit rail system, a connection could be made to the interstate rail to allow people to switch over.
Yes, what you have imagined is called a "connection". By connecting train lines, you can form what is known as a "rail network", allowing you to travel around! You can also connect the rail lines to other modes like airports, rental garages, and bus terminals, forming what is known as a "transportation network". These "rail networks" are common everywhere in the world except the US.
I doubt it would make economic sense to build all that if it didn't exist.
And here we are back to the fall of America. We can't build anything. Only if it was already built by previous generations of Americans, the ones who did great things (or even mundane things like build trains), is it possible. We are doomed.