The reason there isn't more high speed rail in the US is because everything is so spread out when compared to other countires & cars grant people the freedom to go anywhere they want. Each train route has to carry enough people every day to justify its existence & it can get you only where the track goes. And adding new stops to potentially satisfy more people slows the trip.

Just carrying industrial freight by train makes a lot more economic sense because rail is good for transporting heavy things that are difficult to transport other ways. And freight routes can connect ocean ports to industrial centers and/or ground shipping hubs.

If connecting 2 cities is wildly profitable, maybe they will connect another, but it's basically like having a bus system that can't be rerouted to changing demand. Idk why people have such a hard on for transportation they have to share with a bunch of other people. I like using my own vehicles to get places I want to go.