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It is worth remembering that traveling by train has essentially zero overhead aside from the trip time. You arrive anytime before the train leaves, you get on t

It is worth remembering that traveling by train has essentially zero overhead aside from the trip time. You arrive anytime before the train leaves, you get on the train, you get off the train, you don't have to think about considerations such as parking.

aidenn0 3y ago
But (outside of the NEC) you do have to worry about 10+ hour delays (the most extreme delay I had an interaction with was being delayed by 2 hours because yesterday's train was in front of us and delayed by about 24 hours.
- bombcar 3y ago
  If you’ve ridden any long distance trains you’ll die on the rails eventually where they just give up, put everyone in a bus, and you go to the other direction train which they just turn around.
fellowniusmonk 3y ago
The problem in the US though is that once you get to your destination you are probably in a city dependent on cars because of such poor walkability and public transport, so now you have to rent a car as well. Looking at travel from Austin to SF, taking a train is a longer duration trip and costs more. One way on Oct 20th, Kayak has a flight for $119 and Wanderu has a train trip for $662 that is 3 days and 8 hours in duration. If I could take my car on this train it might be worth it, from a cost and logistics standpoint train pretty much always loses. I say this as someone who grew up enjoying the metro in dc and ny and use rail and ferry's when overseas. Until infrastructure, subsidies and other externalities are addressed train travel will not be competitive, I have far more hope for level 3 self driving cars than I do for walkable cities and train travel parity.
- jcranmer 3y ago
  Amtrak has an auto train route from ~DC to ~Orlando.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    It was (and may still be) Amtraks only profitable long distance line.
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
  > ... you are probably in a city dependent on cars because of such poor walkability and public transport [ .... ] If I could take my car on this train it might be worth it ... Take your bike!
  - justrealist 3y ago
    Yeah so I'm not going to take my 2 year old and 1 year old and all associated baggage to the hotel on my bike.
    - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
      Would you try to do that on public transit, if it was better?
      - ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
        Europe here, and yes, that's what people do.
        rcMgD2BwE72F 3y ago
        France here. I do take my bike everywhere (RER, TER, TGV… I've never had a car and rented <10x in my life, at 37 y-o). But it's getting difficult to find/book a place in most fast trains, especially between Paris and Loire Valley as there are too few racks available and biking is becoming more popular. I wish all major train stations had 24/7 bike renting service, including for bikepacking.
        PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
        I am actually aware of that. I was trying to discern whether or not the person I was replying to is actually criticizing public transit infrastructure in US cities or has just accepted that you need a car (easy to understand why that might be, even if it is not necessarily true).
      - bombcar 3y ago

aidenn0 3y ago

But (outside of the NEC) you do have to worry about 10+ hour delays (the most extreme delay I had an interaction with was being delayed by 2 hours because yesterday's train was in front of us and delayed by about 24 hours.

bombcar 3y ago
If you’ve ridden any long distance trains you’ll die on the rails eventually where they just give up, put everyone in a bus, and you go to the other direction train which they just turn around.

fellowniusmonk 3y ago

The problem in the US though is that once you get to your destination you are probably in a city dependent on cars because of such poor walkability and public transport, so now you have to rent a car as well. Looking at travel from Austin to SF, taking a train is a longer duration trip and costs more. One way on Oct 20th, Kayak has a flight for $119 and Wanderu has a train trip for $662 that is 3 days and 8 hours in duration. If I could take my car on this train it might be worth it, from a cost and logistics standpoint train pretty much always loses. I say this as someone who grew up enjoying the metro in dc and ny and use rail and ferry's when overseas. Until infrastructure, subsidies and other externalities are addressed train travel will not be competitive, I have far more hope for level 3 self driving cars than I do for walkable cities and train travel parity.

jcranmer 3y ago
Amtrak has an auto train route from ~DC to ~Orlando.
- bombcar 3y ago
  It was (and may still be) Amtraks only profitable long distance line.
PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
> ... you are probably in a city dependent on cars because of such poor walkability and public transport [ .... ] If I could take my car on this train it might be worth it ... Take your bike!
- justrealist 3y ago
  Yeah so I'm not going to take my 2 year old and 1 year old and all associated baggage to the hotel on my bike.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
    Would you try to do that on public transit, if it was better?
    - ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
      Europe here, and yes, that's what people do.
      - rcMgD2BwE72F 3y ago
        France here. I do take my bike everywhere (RER, TER, TGV… I've never had a car and rented <10x in my life, at 37 y-o). But it's getting difficult to find/book a place in most fast trains, especially between Paris and Loire Valley as there are too few racks available and biking is becoming more popular. I wish all major train stations had 24/7 bike renting service, including for bikepacking.
      - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
        I am actually aware of that. I was trying to discern whether or not the person I was replying to is actually criticizing public transit infrastructure in US cities or has just accepted that you need a car (easy to understand why that might be, even if it is not necessarily true).
    - bombcar 3y ago