After idling for decades, train travel in the United States, while not quite out of the station, is beginning to work up a healthy head of steam.
And experts say that is thanks largely to the mounting hassles and tacked-on costs of traveling by air.
"The airlines are prompting a renewed interest in rail travel," said Margie Jordan, CEO of ASAP Travel, based in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Clients paying extra for checked bags, carry-on bags, blankets, pillows, headsets, food, drinks and, in the case of Ryanair, even to use the toilet, are looking for a less expensive option," she said. "It's nice to see the resurgence of a travel experience that had seemingly lost its luster."
Amtrak has unveiled the nation's first biodiesel train, with a surprise twist -- the fuel is derived from beef byproducts.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
ROCKMAN wrote:Tanada – I suppose that depends where you are. The folks in New England may see the benefit.
But an Amtrak ride from Houston to New Orleans costs $65 compared to my $55 gasoline bill. One could argue about the total cost of owning a vehicle but I own one whether I want to drive to N.O. or take the train. But that’s not the worst disincentive. I can make the drive in 5.5 hours and the train takes 9.5 hours. And there’s the lagniappe to driving: I can stop in Lafayette and pick up some Cajun marinated rabbit at Don’s food market. LOL. Long ago I thought about taking Amtrak from Seattle across the Rockies in winter. But the train left Seattle at sunset and arrived in Glacier Nat Park at sunrise. And with a sleeping compartment cost as much as a puddle jumper. But I eventually made such a great trip via BC Rail and the Canadian Via. Not only got to see mountain views you never see from the highway but it was also very affordable. Just like taking the ferry (with a cabin room) from northern BC through the Inland Passage back to Vancouver.
You, I and probably many others here have taken trains all around the world and just lament how poor our system is to others.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
dinopello wrote:Just as towns and everything needs to be design to accomodate an automobile society, for trains to work well the land-use has to be designed for the train mode.
Every town or store that expects to accomodate a car based mode has to set aside about 250 sq feet of storage for each individual you expect to arrive. Most places, it is expected that this storage is free (ie subsidized). If you didn't have this storage (aka parking) the whole mode of automobile travel would be infeasible - despite the great highway system. People would arrive by car but have nowhere to store their car while they do whatever it is they came to do. Maybe they could go through a drive-in McDonalds or drive-in movie theatre but that's about it.
The same is true with trains. People don't need the storage when arriving by train but they do need the places they want to use to be in close proximity (to walk).
These two modes are somehwat at odds. Either you put the automobile storage on vast swaths of paved surface - which takes up a lot of real estate and will spread out everything (no proximate uses feasible). Or, you put the car storage in structures above or below ground, which causes it to be pretty expensive.
If there was no subsidies for anything, I propose that we would gradually end back up with a more balanced transportation system with a lot more rail and a lot more walking and biking.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Tanada wrote: When I was in elementary school any kid who lived within a mile of the school had to walk to and from school no matter what the weather outside was.
Free school bus transportation is provided to and from school for students living beyond a 1-mile walking distance from elementary schools and a 1.5-miles walking distance from middle and high schools. Over 45 percent of APS students ride buses to and from school.
oilfreeandhappy wrote:high speed rail ... encouraged by "Amtrak" Joe Biden and Obama, shortly after their first election win.
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