Agree with everything you're saying.

I think current tech just doesn't permit trains to be a viable car replacement - they cannot make turns. There's DLR in London that has a few insane curves, but that ability costs it greatly in terms of top speed. As such it's only viable in very population dense areas.

Which also leads to a common problem when building public infra - some people just won't let go of their home, no matter what. Current laws (in a few countries I keep an eye on, at least) do not enable forced buyouts, and I don't really have a straightforward answer. Part of me says such projects should have the ability for it, but then I'm not sure I'd agree if I myself were in such a position.

There's also a less tangible benefit of a car that I'm subconciously avoiding to mention because I don't know how to fully express myself appropriately - freedom. It's freedom to go anywhere, which could be almost fully be covered by perfect public transit; but it's also freedom from big orgs such as governments and corporations. It is possible to go across the whole Europe on a couple of tanks of an average car and 4-5 tanks if it's something thirstier. That little fuel can be easily stocked up by an individual. If rail gets shut down - you're stuffed. No policy can stop me from moving in a car.

The context of this is russia invading Ukraine and movement restrictions put in place during covid. While I don't argue too much about covid - something had to be done; implementation and enforcement in some countries outright sucked, though - russia is an actual threat that would affect my family if it invaded further west. And if that happened - nothing beats a car in that case. Rail gets shut, roads and borders closed.

I'm probably expanding a bit too much.