Only 3 states Delaware, Montana, and New Jersey raise enough revenue from cars to fully cover their highway spending.
The remaining 47 states and the District of Columbia must make up the difference with tax revenues from other sources
By diverting general funds to roadway spending, the burden of paying for the roads falls on all taxpayers, including people who drive very little or may not drive at all.
Source: https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-road-taxes-funding/
The US freight rail system is actually extremely robust. We move more rail miles of freight, than Europe does people.
It’s just a shame we built our rail for boxes and not people
except that american railways are in such terrible condition that trains largely run at speeds that can be beaten by a fit dude on a bike