AFAIK, freight companies are currently supposed to give Amtrak trains priority. I've taken the Southwest Chief (westbound) twice, and both times the worst of the delay came around ABQ where we were blocked on <i>commuter</i> traffic. Presumably there is no such priority vs other passenger traffic, and Amtrak had missed its time slot.<p>It's not so much that cities are unwalkable (he shows maps of Boston and NYC, two of the rare cities that one doesn't actually need a car). It's that most travelers aren't going to the city proper, and are going to want an automobile at the destination. It would be lunacy to tie yourself to the train's schedule, only to then have to rent a car at your destination.