Passenger rail systems require the procurement of immense amounts of very pricey land, or the transfer of ownership of existing rail lines. I don’t see that as a similar cultural issue.
Boat building can be solved by spending money to build boats (and perhaps waiting a couple decades for expertise to be built up).
Using eminent domain or changing the view of the public on land rights is a much higher barrier.
> Boat building can be solved by spending money to build boats (and perhaps waiting a couple decades for expertise to be built up).
I actually don't take it for granted that enough money thrown at a problem can automatically solve it. There's a critical mass of underlying assumptions without which the marginal output of each additional dollar supplied becomes so limited that it just doesn't make sense, even with the government money printer.
Boat building can be solved by spending money to build boats (and perhaps waiting a couple decades for expertise to be built up).
Using eminent domain or changing the view of the public on land rights is a much higher barrier.