I am not sure how you avoid grade crossings. That is part of the
problem with trains. They require that you have unfettered access to
all of the land from point A to point B. That is why interstate right
of ways are attractive but it still requires building thousands of
bridges to get anywhere. You also have the problem that nobody wants a
high speed train going behind their house.
It is hard to compare most of the US to Europe, simply because of the
population density. They also came up around a railroad model of
transportation and continued that way after WWII whereas the US went
the path of the automobile, probably as much to keep our industrial
base busy as anything.
We also built the interstate system that made commuting in from the
country more likely. It also changed the way people vacation.
I am not sure rail will ever regain the position it had here before
WWII.
The Amtrak trains to Florida pass through lots of "back yards."
GM was instrumental in "bribing" many cities into giving up their light
rail and trolley routes in favor of GM buses. That's what happened in my
hometown of New Haven. We had a pretty decent trolley system when I was
a small kid, but suddenly it began to be ripped up when the new buses
appeared. This was in the early to mid 1950's. The trollies were at
street level, in the middle of the wider roads. The buses showed up, no
doubt to help keep our industrial base going.
It's not just the demise of railroads I regret. This country literally
is falling apart...roads, bridges, water systems, dams, you name it.
We've spent our national treasure on military stupidity.