Who ever heard of being stuck on a train for 12 hours with no food, restrooms or relief?

Great post, but let us not forget that aviation is still a leader in technological advances and if we could just reduce the government’s interference perhaps air travel would improve.

Maybe if rail lines take enough market share, airlines might realize that something needs to be done in terms of the customer experience.

The lack of a viable transportive competitor also fed the airline’s arrogant behavior, but seems that this, too is changing, and we’ll all benefit from it no matter which mode of travel we use. Perhaps the TVG-like high-speed train they are working on in California will be the rebirth of inter- and intra-city trains that once connected American towns large and small.

I’d give anything to explore Europe, or any place else, for the matter, by train. Until I get that assignment, however, I guess I must settle for the Paul Theroux books I haven’t yet read.

Price-wise train fares are marginally cheaper than air fares as far as I remember, but I haven’t travelled domestic in France for years so please don’t quote me on that.

Off the top of my head, I think that train has 90% market share for short-haul travel in Europe, which includes most journeys between capital cities in Europe. Air France for example stopped flying Brussels to Paris when the high-speed train network reached the Belgian capital. The airlines also took a hit for example when a high-speed train link started operating between Madrid and Barcelona in Spain.

Interoperability between train and air travel is starting to happen, with long-distance train stations built within large airports used as airline hubs such as Paris CDG or Frankfurt. In Germany some ICE trains even have Lufthansa flight numbers as a code-share which allows travel agents to book integrated air+train tickets. You still have to lug your luggage from the luggage belt in the airport terminal all the way to the train compartment though.

Sounds crazy to even be talking about this, but I do recall when they laughed at the low cost carriers and their paltry 5% market share against the majors.

What is it now, 30% I think?

Boeing was ushering in the trans-oceanic 707 and began service with Pan Am in 1958. Had those events not materialized, we would have what Europe has I suppose. Political agenda sided with airline travel because of it’s prestige and expediency, and now rail
travel has slid into oblivion for the most part.

I say what you have exposed here is a rationalization that the rail system may come of age, and just might do so with President Obama’s push to get rail service back on track. The airlines might want to read this column with interest.

Good points, Scott!!

Last I checked I was going to have to go over to D.C. and then back to Chicago and that is just too much time lost when I only see them once a year.

I don’t know if you’ve already taken the train in Europe, but the experience on the high-speed train network in France and Germany is fantastic. Not only is the door-to-door trip time roughly the same as flying for trips up to 1000km, but you also get wireless Internet and can book meeting rooms on the train when travelling with work colleagues. In addition, the green factor also contributes to making trains more attractive than airplanes because of lower CO2 emissions per passenger.