Depends on how you define 'cost'. Much as I really wish I could travel by train, 1) there's relatively limited number of places you can go on Amtrack unless yo

Depends on how you define 'cost'. Much as I really wish I could travel by train, 1) there's relatively limited number of places you can go on Amtrack unless you're in the Northeast. 2) Even when served, the path between A and B is often 'non-optimal'. For example, to get from Atlanta to Denver, I have to either go hundreds of miles out of the way looping through New Jersey and Chicago, or South through New Orleans only to have to get on a bus north in El Paso, which means 3) every trip takes far longer than the alternatives. Even if A and B are on the same line. For example, Atlanta to New Orleans is more than 12 hours by train, but I can drive there in less than 8 and fly there in 1. Amtrak is ok for a leisurely vacation stroll across the country; it's not an alternative for regular business travel.