Also, assuming CO2 is a concern, EVs are distance/charge-time limited, even more so in very hot or cold weather. Electric trains are basically unlimited-range EVs. Combining them with ZipCar type (autonomous) vehicles at the stations would yield an interesting transportation network.
And who says the trains themselves won’t be more heavily automated? If they don’t need a driver, it would be cheaper to run one or two car rail vehicles, 5x more frequently than we run five or ten car trains today.
