Along the East Coast, there are regular commuter schedules. Here in my part of the west, you board at Spokane, Washington or Sandpoint, Idaho around midnight and that's it. There's just the one daily train at a bad time. Usage is too low to justify more trains, but the bad schedule keeps usage low. It's a catch-22, and the government doesn't want to bother trying to improve anything.

Greyhound is the biggest bus line, and they serve some communities not served by rail, while offering more frequent schedules here in the west as well. It is not ideal, but it is cheaper, and one can board in daylight.