Investment is required         In order for rail to properly compete in the marketplace for passenger traffic and deliver its benefits for the nation, the system must be modernized.  That means it must be made dependable, travel time competitive, have frequent services schedules, and offer the comfort, amenities and service customers demand. In short it must offer what it usually does not today. The needs are great.  Most U.S. rail lines sit on the same alignments carved into the landscape with animal power and human labor in the nineteenth century.  These lines need to be double tracked, straightened, and separated from highway traffic.  In some cases new routes will need to be constructed.   Just like in 1956 when the Interstate and Defense Highway System was begun, many states are anxious to work with the federal government to begin building these systems.  Private industry at home and abroad is interested in joining Amtrak to run these new systems.