Why is travel by rail so f'n expensive?

[dakels]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: torpid
It's also a lot more expensive than a bus. I took the train a fair amount as a kid and I could swear it used to be competitively priced.

That's because long distance bus travel is the first circle of hell.

Seriously, wait till you get a 10 hour trip with some fat person cramming you into your seat while some baby is crying behind you. You'll need valium to survive.

As for the train, what is also nice is that it is rarely delayed and not a lot of security to get through so you don't have to spend 2 extra hours just trying to get on the plane. With a train you can show up 10-15 min before it leaves for domestic destinations. Trains are also generally more spacious and have amenities like your own power plug for a laptop. You can sometimes get online either via their wifi or your cell card. Plus a dining car. Etc... I still never take a train but I can understand it's perks over flying. Then again I love flying. Well I like flight and planes, not the whole flying bus crap.

 

[acheron]

Originally posted by: MrChad

Originally posted by: acheron

Originally posted by: MrChad
Only really worth it between DC and Boston, IMO (NE Corridor).

Accela is the way to go.

I've done that a few times, and it's nice, but even there I can get a roundtrip flight from Dulles to Logan on Jetblue for half the price of round-trip Acela, and even cheaper than roundtrip NE Regional (same route non-Acela)... I just priced it out since I'm doing that next week.

Hmm, I wouldn't necessarily use it for DC all the way to Boston, but for DC <-> NYC or NYC <-> Boston it's definitely a better option than flying.

That I will agree with. Unfortunately I rarely go to NYC, but I go to Mass. all the time. 🙂

 

[bucwylde23]

I rode the Acela Express from DC to NYC a month or so ago for around $377 round trip. I thought it was a pretty decent trip. Work was paying for it though so I don't care all that much.

 

[Pepsei]

you're paying for the "not falling out of the sky" insurance.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
you're paying for the "not falling out of the sky" insurance.

But you don't get the "derailed/slamming into cars/head-on-collision" insurance. 🙁

 

[amdskip]

I ride Amtrak at least once a month to Chicago, overall good but freight trains really screw it up. Amtrak should have built nationwide lines a long time ago. We were 2 hours late on a 3 hour trip.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Originally posted by: amdskip
I ride Amtrak at least once a month to Chicago, overall good but freight trains really screw it up. Amtrak should have built nationwide lines a long time ago. We were 2 hours late on a 3 hour trip.

It doesn't make economic sense for Amtrak to do so. What most people don't get is that most European countries are no bigger than one of our states, so the population density is much higher, and the destinations are closer together. The population of the US is concentrated on either coast primarily, with a few midwest exceptions. When you start to get into the Dakotas, MT, etc., there isn't enough passenger traffic to make it profitable.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Leros
Apparently people are willing to pay the price.

People always wonder why things cost so much, but the answer is always the same: because people are willing to pay it.

Not really.

In a normal business that would be the case, but in Amtrak's case it's possible for them to have low ridership, to lose money every year, yet still stay in business due to the fact that it's a government owned business.

Since they can't go out of business due to their crazy pricing, they have no need to change anything.

 

[miketheidiot]

didn't i post in this thread?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Check it out. Minneapolis has the largest railroad hub in the northern half of the country, even bigger than Chicago. If you want to take the train from Minneapolis to South Dakota you first have to go to Chicago and then to SoDak! Yep, you get to travel approximately the same distance East before you can go West.

The government killed the railroads when they promoted air travel many years ago.

 

[keird]

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: DEMO24

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
I took the train most every where (except to southern Germany and Austria) in Germany. It was cheap and fast.

DB FTW! Traveling by ICE trains was a very relaxing and pleasant experience!

Sometimes I'd be reading the paper then look up and realize we'd started moving.....Ultra-smooth.

Yeah. The Global Pass was awesome. Just jumping in any train and waving it around pwned all language barriers. 1st class beat any service I've seen in airlines and the food and beer was fantastic. It came to $700 for 15 days of unlimited use.