the railways network was reduced significantly, mainly to please the motor manufacturers and the road builders.

I believe the same happened in the USA where the car manufacturers lobbied intensely, almost from the beginning. The state of mind of ALL Americans to have at least one vehicle per person (walking is taboo, taking the bus is taboo: only students, poor immigrants and "chronic losers" are expected to do it), responsible for so much pollution, traffic accidents and addiction to oil from the Middle East (with its repercussions), is the direct result. By comparison, people in Montreal (only a few miles from the US border) including executives are proud to take the train to go to work every day.