I doubt it would be hard to actually have better train infrastructure in Europe (and some countries do). For example, as a German, my perspective on this is that our government just doesn't care to invest in most infrastructure because it isn't seen as prestigious enough. The only projects that do get build are some shiny new additions that no one needs, like a new train station in Stuttgart that has been in planning for over 3 decades, will cost many billions and has seen huge protests against it from the start till today. But any project that is just basic maintenance, be it for cars or trains, just gets ignored and postponed. The German Autobahn is just as defunct and on the brink of collapse in many parts of Germany as its train network. And our infrastructure ministers have been corrupt and utterly incompetent for many decades now.