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I agree with the other posters that 200 km is not very far for Americans (My trips to the dentist are 294 km each way). So far as self-loading - for comparison

by chiph 1y ago

I agree with the other posters that 200 km is not very far for Americans (My trips to the dentist are 294 km each way). So far as self-loading - for comparison, I believe the Eurostar loads cars on a single-level. The Auto Train loads cars into two-levels where the decking is open mesh and not safe for the public to walk on. The published time is a little misleading - that's when you have to check-in. Departure time is about 90 minutes after last check-in. You could have nearly completed a 200 km drive in that time, so something like the Auto Train is only useful for much longer distances (it currently runs ~1400 km) Amtrak has two sizes of cars. The single-level cars have to be used in the Northeast because of the lower clearances of tunnels & bridges (legacy infrastructure...) The bi-level Superliners can be used everywhere else. The Auto Train cars are bi-level height and cannot operate any further north than they presently do.

gregoriol 1y ago
Eurostars have two levels for cars actually, but they are fully enclosed and have quite some space on both sides, so it's indeed easier to load and get out (though it's not really needed because the trip is short and there is nothing to do outside of the car). Those trains are much wider than usual though and can only travel on some very special tracks, only the tunnel I think. I think it's not as much about mesh form as passageways could be filled easily, but width on the other hand can't be changed at all.