A general problem with all these debates is that rail and road have for so long been deeply interlinked with states strategy and subsidies that any real cost comparison is almost impossible.

We are using tunnels all over Switzerland that are built many decades ago. How to you take stuff like that into account?

Sure we could just say 'lets wipe all infrastructure of Europe and start fresh, what the most efficient combination of things?' but that is a pointless exercise.

People very lives have been shaped around existing infrastructure as well.

Everything is interlinked to a crazy degree that makes finding and comparing solution challenging.