A number of years ago, the two railways in Canada--
Canadian Pacific, and
Canadian National, originally also a
crown corporation--both
private sector, decided they could no longer
compete in the industry of passenger rail transport.
Not that Canadian Pacific had been serious about this industry for many years, although it had opened up the Canadian West--and founded a great industrial empire in the process.
Where did the great competitive spirit go? If the theory holds, then competition would have made it better. People do travel by rail. But people complain more than freight. They need more TLC than boxes.
It is one of the many things that is too difficult for the private sector--so they sloughed it off. They gave it to the government.
A job only the government could do.