Current Events > Is there any advantage to taking a train over a plane? :\

(+) Yeah! (+)

I thought, "Maybe it would be fun to take the Amtrak up to Boston one day", except the tickets cost the same as a plane ticket and the travel time is four times as long.

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God no. I had to take a train from upstate New York to Charlotte once. 25 hours. It was $360. A plane ticket would have been less and it would have been an hour flight.

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Boston trains been having some problems lately fyi

doors stuck open, fires, derailments, you know

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Spiritlittle posted...

God no. I had to take a train from upstate New York to Charlotte once. 25 hours. It was $360. A plane ticket would have been less and it would have been an hour flight.

... 25 hours?? Did it break down or something? You could have driven that faster.

thronedfire2 posted...

Boston trains been having some problems lately fyi

doors stuck open, fires, derailments, you know

Sounds like part of the adventure?

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What are we? In the mid 1800's?

Plane or bust.

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Hexenherz posted...

... 25 hours?? Did it break down or something? You could have driven that faster.

Sounds like part of the adventure?

Nope. Just when you factor in stops and layovers, it was 25 hours.

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I like trains...

Train, train, take us away
Into the future we will go"

Cheaper, less carbon-intensive
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Vicious_Dios posted...

What are we? In the mid 1800's?

Plane or bust.

I enjoyed them in Europe.

Antifar posted...

Cheaper, less carbon-intensive

Not on the Eastern seaboard apparently.

AND the "bring a pet" option is unavailable.

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@Crono99 - Are there no trains available from the airport to the downtown area?

I do know in DC they're just now finishing up the Silver line from Dulles to the city (or maybe it's been finished, haven't been out there in a little while). Even Baltimore has a train to the city >_>

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Vicious_Dios posted...

What are we? In the mid 1800's?

Is that where your hatred of gay people comes from?

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In Europe yeah. Way more space, you don't have to show up an hour and a half before your train ride, cheaper, just all around a better experience.

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GATTJT posted...

Is that where your hatred of gay people comes from?

What in the absolute fuck are you talking about?

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Yeah IDK about vicious dios or whoever but that was a weird ass comment in a thread about transportation options...

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Trains are more comfy. Planes are absolutely miserable unless you're in first class

I love trains. Often they cost less and they are INSANELY more comfortable.

Wanna be miserable for a 4 hour flight or chill and watch movies in a comfy chair free to walk around and shit for 16?

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If you live in the Northeast Corridor it can be a better way to get between major cities. Yes, travel time is longer than planes, but you can basically show up 5 minutes before the train boards and you don't have to deal with security. So a 3 hour train ride is still probably quicker than a one-hour flight. Especially if you consider time saved in both directions.

Trains also tend to leave more often, so you have more flexibility if you have to travel before or after work, and it's way easier to move to a later or earlier time if your schedule changes than with flying.

Plus with trains you get way more leg room, better food options in the dining car, actually usable Wi-Fi, and more power outlets.

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joe40001 posted...

I love trains. Often they cost less and they are INSANELY more comfortable.

Wanna be miserable for a 4 hour flight or chill and watch movies in a comfy chair free to walk around and shit for 16?

Honestly, the 4 hour flight. If I'm gonna be traveling like that for 16 hours I'd rather drive >_>.

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Walking around and leg room. But I mostly took trains in Korea so they went 300Km+ an hour and Korea is a pretty small country so it was super quick.

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Hexenherz posted...

Honestly, the 4 hour flight. If I'm gonna be traveling like that for 16 hours I'd rather drive >_>.

Why? There is 0 stress on a train. You don't have to worry about shit. Just sit and comfortably watch a netflix season and before you know it you are there.

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I don't worry about shit on a plane, either. I take an MP3 player and a book and honestly half the time I don't even take them out of my backpack, I just sit there and think about things. And I have TSA Pre so it's not like I have to deal with five hours of security.

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Hexenherz posted...

I don't worry about shit on a plane, either. I take an MP3 player and a book and honestly half the time I don't even take them out of my backpack, I just sit there and think about things. And I have TSA Pre so it's not like I have to deal with five hours of security.

It's uncomfortable as fuck tho. And it's such a circus to deal with.

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Plane going down into the ground or train going off the rails?

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I imagine if a bigger priority is stress instead of getting to your destination quicker, trains are much preferable. I hate airports. I hate waiting in them. I hate plane seats and dealing with questionable people shoved in right next to me. I can see myself preferring train travel, though I've yet to be on one.

joe40001 posted...

It's uncomfortable as fuck tho. And it's such a circus to deal with.

Honestly I find it really entertaining whenever I fly and people complain about the same two things, like "why isn't there more overhead space" and "why do they board from the front". It's always the same story.

It is generally uncomfortable though I'll give you that. But 4 hours of discomfort is worth more to me than 16 hours of comfort. Unless like I said I'm driving myself then I can see all the scenery and explore if I want to.

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Trains are so much more pleasant. I took the train from Portland to Seattle last October and it was great! Only cost $25 and I spent most of the time sitting in the bar area just watching the scenery go by

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Butterfiles posted...

Trains are so much more pleasant. I took the train from Portland to Seattle last October and it was great! Only cost $25 and I spent most of the time sitting in the bar area just watching the scenery go by

Yeah that seems like a worthwhile use of the train. I wouldn't mind trying that once.

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A train doesn't pack you in like a sardine, more than enough for me to not take a plane to any Amtrak served state.
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Butterfiles posted...

Trains are so much more pleasant. I took the train from Portland to Seattle last October and it was great! Only cost $25 and I spent most of the time sitting in the bar area just watching the scenery go by

Well yeah if you can get a ticket for 25 dollars that's super worth it.
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A lot of the time, Trains are cheaper. trains also tend to be a nice calm trek through the area and you get cool sights and all that. There's no need to go through airport security.

If you need to get somewhere ASAP I wouldn't recommend it, but a Train can fee like more of an adventure, and I'd say to debate it if you were worried about say Train vs. Bus instead of Plane.

Oh yeah I only took a bus once, not by choice, as a teenager and that shit was freaky.

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In civilised countries such as France, where trains travel at 320km/h, for shorter inter-city distances, there is, since you take it from the city downtown and arrive in the city downtown too, cutting the time you waste with airport commute and procedures.
In the US, I don't know, you tell me.


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Trains in the US are both too slow and too expensive for long distance travel. Fuck em.

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So I checked around. Amtrack, Baltimore to NYC is 55 dollars, either way. Round trip Baltimore to NYC 117$ through Delta. So 110 round trip through Amtrak. That's 7 dollars not spent. Yes it's penny pinching, no I don't care. And that 117 probably gets you terrible seats, no wifi, and some guy uncomfortably close to you with hardly any luggage space.
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There are no snakes on trains

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They take significantly longer while also not saving much money

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Can't you plug in a PS4 and a TV on the train?

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Crazyman93 posted...

So I checked around. Amtrack, Baltimore to NYC is 55 dollars, either way. Round trip Baltimore to NYC 117$ through Delta. So 110 round trip through Amtrak. That's 7 dollars not spent. Yes it's penny pinching, no I don't care. And that 117 probably gets you terrible seats, no wifi, and some guy uncomfortably close to you with hardly any luggage space.

Yeah but I've been to NYC enough times to not want to go back. :|

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Hexenherz posted...

Yeah but I've been to NYC enough times to not want to go back. :|

My search was based on personal interest.

Also, a bus is even cheaper but that combines the worst parts of a train and a plane with no benefits of its own.
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Yeah I do remember taking my friend to the cheap ass bus stop just north of Baltimore.

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If I have to go from DC to NYC for work I'll ride the train. Airports suck and getting out of Laguardia or JFK also sucks.

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Not for me.

I fly for free.

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Trains in the US are awful. Expensive, slow, horribly bumpy. If you want to save money you might as well take a bus. At least they leave on time more often and actually save you money. But obviously plane is the best. Even in Japan a plane is usually cheaper than a train, but the trains here are actually nice, so it balances out.

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ssjevot posted...

Trains in the US are awful. Expensive, slow, horribly bumpy. If you want to save money you might as well take a bus. At least they leave on time more often and actually save you money. But obviously plane is the best. Even in Japan a plane is usually cheaper than a train, but the trains here are actually nice, so it balances out.

Buses are nightmares. I had such a horrible experience last time I tried to ride a greyhound bus, so much that I'm now evangelical about telling people never ever to ride one.

Like plans, cars, boats, trains, etc: you do you
But for the love of god never ride a greyhound bus

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Spiritlittle posted...

God no. I had to take a train from upstate New York to Charlotte once. 25 hours. It was $360.

Really? Well I'm from Utica, and I've never heard of trains going to Charlotte at $360 per ticket.

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If you don't live in America maybe. Some countries have trains worth a damn. America, fuck no. Planes are cheaper and faster

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If I have time, I prefer going by train. There's a lot more room, my sinuses thank me, and I can lounge around and listen to an audiobook, play a game, or go order a beer and a snack. I'm okay with air travel, but I hate driving.

Every May I take a mini-vacation and travel from Sacramento to San Jose by train for FanimeCon. It's a nice three-hour train trip on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor. No traffic, no parking trouble, just a relaxing ride, and about $80 round-trip.

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