I used to think as a child everyone in Europe is super rich. Because they always travel by planes
this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2023
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I don't think train can compete with a long distance means of transportation that is
1- equally or less time consuming.
2- works very similarly across countries.
3- only needs infrastructure at the start and end stops instead of for the whole journey.
What we need is to figure out a way to use less polluting, carbon neutral or non-polluting fuel for airplanes, and less of it with more efficient designs.
Depends on when long distance starts for you. I'm very much open to take a train across Europe if it's reasonably priced and convenient, even if it takes considerably longer. Really wouldn't mind an overnight train either for example, if they weren't so damn expensive (and constantly booked out).
Anything that's less than 3-4 hours by plane is fine by me to switch to the train for 8-10 hours imo.
Agree about the long distance being subjective. I live abroad and have a job so for me it's not an option to use 2 days of my holiday time just to travel back and forth for one visit home. So I definitely mind that it takes considerably longer.
Well 3000 km is about 2h30 by plane. A train that goes 180km/h without any stops will still take 17h. I agree all the check in and travel to the airport definitely sucks, and I'd rather board on a train any day. But even with that nuisance, a regular plane going a typical cruise speed of 900km/h will still leave trains in the dust for anything farther than say 2000 km and make it worth it.
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In Japan, it can be cheaper to fly than to take the shinkansen (bullet train), but the trains are much more convenient. No security checks like air travel, no waiting in line for ages, no going out of the way to get to an airport (one of "Tokyo"'s airports is actually a prefecture over in Chiba), etc.
I wonder what it costs to maintain rolling stock and railway lines with their associated infrastructure.
Planes don't have to maintain bridges and level crossings on their entire route.