@evan I would prefer functional rail travel. I have traveled by rail in Europe and it was fantastic. Relatively affordable, fast, and I could read a book or do something productive on the trip instead of focusing on driving, and it is much safer and better for the environment.
At least in my area of the US, to make a trip by rail would take ~3 times as long as driving. Even if it was only 1.5 times as long I would prefer it. In Europe it is usually slightly faster than driving.