Rail is an option in less developed countries, or places like Europe and Japan where the easements have existed for centuries. But building a new high-speed rail line in the US is basically a nonstarter at this point.
Electrified aviation will be more than 10x cheaper vs turbine based. Practically the entire cost of aviation is in the engine, with its' associated fuel logistics, maintenance requirements, and pilot training.
No, the longer we wait, the more expensive it will become. The population of the US is increasing and it's almost all going to cities. We should be building rail ASAP to meet the needs of now and the future.
Maybe we need federal legislation to make it less of a hassle to build a new rail line but we should focus on actually solving the problem. I don't see how thousands of 20-person electric airplanes is a scalable solution.
High-capacity / High-speed rail is a non-starter over low-capacity planes with a bunch of low-capacity airfields littering the country? Density is the future and a bunch of small electric planes will not come anywhere close to meeting the demands necessary.
Electrified aviation will be more than 10x cheaper vs turbine based. Practically the entire cost of aviation is in the engine, with its' associated fuel logistics, maintenance requirements, and pilot training.