United States Passenger Rail

[vonneuman]

Plus in a car you don't have 50 random strangers siting next to you.

 

[Shadow Addict]

Plus in a car you don't have 50 random strangers siting next to you.

Well, you do in planes, and I wouldn't say that a plane has the same terrible connotations you're associating with trains (at least to most people).

 

[Zatnikitelman]

On a train, at worse, you'll have one seatmate. On a plane, you could have two...on either side...both of which ate burritos before coming on board...
Also, you can get up and go to the lounge on most Amtrak trains (some don't have a lounge/cafe) if you hate your seatmate.

 

[Torgo]

The biggest issue I have with trains is that for family or group travel, it is prohibitively expensive. It also puts you at the mercy of someone else's timetable.

A train ride from near my house into New York City costs $24 round trip per person into Penn Station in mid-town. It takes roughly 90-100 minutes. Trains run roughly every hour, with more at peak times, and less off peak. There is no service between 1am and 5am. After 5pm, parking is free at the station. Before then, it is $5. The station is about 2 miles from my house.

A car ride from my house to the same location lasts about an hour and costs:
Gas = $6
Associated car costs = $6
Bridge or Tunnel Toll = $9.00 (only one way)
Parking = $10 - $20
Total = $31 - $41
I can travel on my own timetable as well, and enjoy myself without having to worry about missing the last train. I can also bring up to 4 other people with me for the same cost.

If I'm going alone, the train may very well be the more economical choice.
If my wife is going with me, it is at best break-even financially and we have to conform to their schedules.
If it is more than 2 people going, then the car wins hands down.

I also tried a train trip from NYC to North Carolina once. The train ride took 14 hours. The next time I went, the car ride took 8 hours. Plus, I had a car and didn't have to pay to rent one, or pay through the nose for taxi service.

 

[Bj]

Plus in a car you don't have 50 random strangers siting next to you.

Sardines;

Little more spacious; though the train I took a few years back was very nice. It was a double seat both sides though they had between 1/2 to 1 foot wide gaps between chairs, and so much legroom that I almost couldnot reach the chair in front of me. This was the red-eye run like 2AM or something, but there was hardly anyone in there. Their was maybe only 6 other people in the cab with my family.

 

[vonneuman]

What trains are you riding on? The ones I ride are cramped, have hard seats, and no leg room. That picture makes train travel look glamorous. Also trains are not safe. In an airport there is security, you know the guy next to you doesn't have a gun. On a train however, the guy next to you could have nerve gas for all you know.

 

[Hielor]

A train ride is faster...

Not sure what trains you're riding, but they aren't American ones. American commuter trains have top speeds of like 55-60mph, and you'll also likely have stops along the route. In a car you could easily be zipping along at 70-85 (depending on state and location). Also see a couple posts above me for anecdotal evidence of cars being faster.

 

[Bj]

What trains are you riding on? The ones I ride are cramped, have hard seats, and no leg room. That picture makes train travel look glamorous. Also trains are not safe. In an airport there is security, you know the guy next to you doesn't have a gun. On a train however, the guy next to you could have nerve gas for all you know.

www.amtrak.com/

And its really the only train I rode before. Actually, my one and only time.

As to the guy sitting next to you with nerve gas, you know that goes with everywhere.. You cannot single out trains vs airplanes with that. Do you worry about a guy pulling a gun out on the street? How about if your stopped at a stoplight, and someone jumps in? Are you always watching your back at a park? Honestly, public transit is about the same as any other public place there is.

I think why airplanes have security and trains dont, is because trains are really limited to the track. Sure they can disrail, or run into the train in-front of them. Besides that, you cannot load it full of explosives or ram it into any random building, unlike airplanes where you can collide into anything within flying radius. That is exactly why they have and need security at airports.

 

[jedidia]

you can easily scale it up for Europe as whole, the density will stay the same.

except for switzerland, where the railroad density rises so high it almost collapses into a black hole (that's why we're so afraid of the LHC. all it takes is a slight push... :lol: )

The biggest issue I have with trains is that for family or group travel, it is prohibitively expensive. It also puts you at the mercy of someone else's timetable.

In switzerland, if you calculate the running costs of a car over one year, train wins big time. It looks a bit better with a family, allthough even then you have enough otions to make it cheaper in the long run.
There's no compensation for the myhem that ensues when you have to get your kids and luggage together, out of a train and into the next one within 3 minutes, though...

 

[Urwumpe]

What trains are you riding on? The ones I ride are cramped, have hard seats, and no leg room.

maybe hard seats, but cramped?

Lets look at the same cars that are operated by private companies in Germany (because these are more comparable to US rails, since they get less pork barrel, compared to DB Regio, which makes 70% of the revenue of the DB AG with tax financed regional services)

Thats a typical German short-distance regional train, there are also bigger ships on the rail.The more cramped two deck cars look like that in the second class:

And if you pay significant more, you can also book first class on some regional trains:

I hardly had problems with other passengers in a train, usually, you can have a quite nice chat there, if you travel 1.5 hours in the same train. Also, you see more of the landscape, than from car or plane. I like trains, almost as much as ships. Planes are always looking too hectic to me.

 

[vonneuman]

This is why I don't like train travel:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Do you have there in Europe train cars with sleeper places (bunks)? Perhaps, for inter-state travels only?

 

[Timothy Joseph]

I'll just leave this here.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03kVU2FYl6U"]YouTube- Evacuated Tube Transportation Technology - ET3 (Extended Version)[/nomedia]

 

[Urwumpe]

Do you have there in Europe train cars with sleeper places (bunks)? Perhaps, for inter-state travels only?

yes, many long distance trains run as sleepers when traveling over night.

 

[N_Molson]

France is quite advanced in the rail network. And there is a tunnel that allows trains to reach Great-Britain. So volcano or not, English people can still take the boat (ferries) or the train (or even their car : you can load your car on the train).

The high-speed lines can reach 90 m/s (to speak in Orbiter measures). The others run at about 30 m/s.

There a lot of strikes though. So you have to get used to it. But in general, it works very well, even if everyone complains about it (it's the French way of life).

 

[Urwumpe]

But in general, it works very well, even if everyone complains about it (it's the French way of life).

I thought professional complaining about everything is the German way of life. :lol:

 

[Zatnikitelman]

Also trains are not safe. In an airport there is security, you know the guy next to you doesn't have a gun. On a train however, the guy next to you could have nerve gas for all you know.

And yet, less people die riding trains than flying in airplanes. Also, if a train does derail, it'll only go a short distance off the track (rare exceptions) whereas a plane can fall 30,000 feet with no chance for survival. Plus, I can't remember any recent terrorist attacks that took place on board a train, just in the stations. And yes, there were the attacks on the track itself in Russia, but most people on the train survived.
With a car, you have thousands of people steering however they darn well please, then you could have road rage. At least with trains one engineer won't force another train off the tracks, then get out and start a fight!

Not sure what trains you're riding, but they aren't American ones. American commuter trains have top speeds of like 55-60mph, and you'll also likely have stops along the route. In a car you could easily be zipping along at 70-85 (depending on state and location). Also see a couple posts above me for anecdotal evidence of cars being faster.

Wrong, most of the American commuter services are allowed to reach 79mph on most of their run. There are a few that don't like in Nashville, and the light rail lines (fancy trolleys). Also the 70-85 is only out in the country away from cities and doesn't include traffic jams.

This is why I don't like train travel:

I'm assuming that's METRA? Your flag says Illinois and METRA is the only operator of the Gallery Cars in Illinois. I've ridden them before several times myself, they're quite comfortable for an hour or so into or out of a city. Would I want to go from Atlanta to Washington riding one? No, but that's why the Crescent has Amfleets:

 

[N_Molson]

One of my dreams (other than getting in space) would be to take the TransSiberian once in my life. It must be a real experience !!

 

[Shadow Addict]

Not sure what trains you're riding, but they aren't American ones. American commuter trains have top speeds of like 55-60mph, and you'll also likely have stops along the route. In a car you could easily be zipping along at 70-85 (depending on state and location). Also see a couple posts above me for anecdotal evidence of cars being faster.

Wasn't talking about speed. I mean I can get to Chicago from New Orleans in about 20 hours. The car ride is probably around 15 hours (never done it myself). If you go straight through with only short stops for gas, then yeah it's shorter. If you want to eat two meals, you can expect anywhere between one or two hours extra. 15-minute bathroom breaks at rest areas add up. And if you're gonna stay overnight, then that's 8-10 hours right there.

So unless you're a hardcore driver, the train is probably gonna get you there faster.

 

[SiberianTiger]

One of my dreams (other than getting in space) would be to take the TransSiberian once in my life. It must be a real experience !!

You can try a virtual tour for now:
http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

I tried to find a map of Russian railway lines to put on this thread, but they are either too large and segmented or too cramped. It's best to say that railway traffic is simply lifeblood for Russia. Despite that our passenger trains are mostly slow compared to Europe and mostly with worse accommodations (with some costly exceptions).

I'm happy that it's still a state-owned enterprise: they manage to keep tracks in good condition, and run trains on time.