Companies very much prefer one time costs (bunch of equipment) rather than recurring ones (wages). One time costs (1) look better on the balance sheet and (2) are easier to justify to shareholders as they don’t eat into future profits. Businesses basically never base their decisions on math ever.
looking forward to the future when continental travel is completely done by train! would be also a big win for my older relatives who cant travel by plane due to medical conditions. there are just so many pros for trains.