If the rail industry does not act fast enough and automate quickly enough, then it will collapse. Automated road vehicles are years away - but not decades, and they spell a much more convenient alternative for both freight and passengers than rail can in its present form. Why would a business or passenger choose rail instead, when they can get door to door delivery from a machine that takes no breaks, makes no mistakes, and can arrive at the start location at any given time? Rail has to win out against automated road vehicles by being faster and cheaper in large quantities, which are only achievable with capacity increases and automation - something that only automation can do in places where the mechanical infrastructure isn't the limiting factor.