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In UK a train from London to Edinburgh (North of UK, Scotland) costs more than a plane. I just don't understand how that makes any sense, how can a train be mo
by dist-epoch 3y ago
In UK a train from London to Edinburgh (North of UK, Scotland) costs more than a plane.
I just don't understand how that makes any sense, how can a train be more expensive than a plane.
- Yujf 3y agoA plane flies faster so you can amortize the cost over more flights. A plane only requires 2 airports, which can be used as a starting point to connect with any other airport again amortizing the cost over many flights. For trains you need rail all the way, which is not flexible and costs a lot. Then the planes don't pay their full cost as they emit a lot of CO2 but aviation fuel is not taxed so you get planes that already have quite a lot of structural advantages getting even cheaper. Budget airlines are probably also run a lot more efficiently than most train systems
- nvm0n2 3y agoRails have much more limited capacity. Train costs in the UK are mostly dominated by demand exceeding supply, and supply being hard to add. Also you don't have to maintain tracks in the air, and airlines have less militant unions. The final big hammer is of course competition. Airlines have lots, rail companies don't.