Extending rail lines

seems like a good idea to me. 
It came up in the news again this week and I know a lot of people in the immediate vicinity who would be only too happy to see the lengthy goods trains go through the relatively flat area north of the city. It can take far too long for such a train to travel through suburbia. The delays at level crossings can be dangerous. If a train breaks down or must come to a halt for some reason then it is even more dangerous. 
I suppose when the first railway line was built those who built it had no idea how the population would grow or what the potential dangers would one day be. 
But, we need to extend the rail network. It is not a matter of whether it might be a good idea. It is essential.
And then we need to make people use it. 
Let's be realistic about this. It is much easier to walk a few steps to the car and then sit in it and drive to work or wherever else you want to go.  Humans will take the easy way out. It's understandable. It's unrealistic to expect anything else.
But..it has to change. It makes sense to transport two, three, four or more carriages filled with people to a destination than have several hundred cars on the road. If it is used to capacity then public transport can run at a profit. It may not be a monetary profit but there will be a profit in other ways if people use the time.
I tried explaining this to someone yesterday. He's a former railway man who held a fairly senior position. I thought he would be in favour of extending the rail network but all he can apparently see is the cost involved in actually extending it or renewing the rail lines that were once there.
     "No Cat. It can't be done. It would cost far too much. You just don't have any idea how much it would cost - billions."
Billions? Actually I can imagine it might cost a great deal but that isn't the point. It is what it would also save on road accidents, the life long care of the injured, on mental health services and on any number of other things. 
Use time spent on public transport wisely and there could be immense benefits for everyone.  I know I have said this elsewhere and I will probably say it again.
I couldn't say anything to the person I was talking with because he would not be aware but using public transport saved the life of someone we both know. 
This other man is still young, not yet 30. He lost his much loved wife very suddenly. Perhaps fortunately there were no children but he was devastated and finding it very hard to cope with even the activities of daily living. He knew he had to go back to work but he was finding it almost impossible to get himself out of bed in the mornings.
His doctor told him not to drive. It wasn't safe. 
On the railway station platform that morning there was a young Asian man with very little English who asked for information. He gave it and told him the correct way to ask. They chatted briefly. The next day the young Asian man was there again. This time he had a friend with him. They chatted again.
Now the two young Asians have an English lesson each morning on the way into the city. It's given the grieving man a purpose in life.
He caught the train instead. He caught the train and he told me,
     "It saved my life. Instead of jumping in front of the train I jumped on to it."
Now tell me, what's a life worth? Isn't it worth more than the billions it might cost to extend the rail network?