[randompwd]

Why is rail pushed so hard in place of roads?

Roads - lots of things other than trains can use them. Vehicles of all sizes can be scaled up and down to meet demand. Way less money. Way easier to respond to unexpected line breakages.

Or even better, throw all that money that would be going to rail to eliminate short haul to electric airplane research and subsidising - far more useful to everyone in the EU rather than just those who happen to live near and want to travel between 2 major cities(which I presume is a requisite for the high speediness)

[tuatoru]

Rail vs roads: very much more energy efficient (so low cost to operate) and environmentally benign. Uses less land. Can carry much more freight per day.

Rail vs electric planes: it exists. Goes to the middle of town in most towns in Europe, minimising the need for road network expansion. Yes, I know there are prototypes/experiments happening with electric planes.

Edit: my view is that if you want to travel long distances quickly, you're doing it wrong. Use video calling; that's the least environmentally damaging action. Long distances ought to take a long time to traverse.