Going to Mr. O’Toole’s point about air travel versus rail, in Japan, if the rail travel time between two Japanese cities is less than 3 hours, then as a strong general rule rail proves to be the winner. If rail travel time between two cities much exceeds 4 hours, then air travel between those cities does win hands-down.
Good analysis and all true.
But “rail time” never includes: getting to the station, carrying your own bags up and down and around the gd station, train dangers such as kids and drunks falling off the platform or even jumping off the platform,
taxi ride or long walk sluggin’ bags to the station, taxi on arrival, taxi after job is done to go for a bit of sight seeing or dinner, or back to station, parking fees at the station if needed, and reversing all of the above to return home.
In the USA and in Japan, even if gas is $5 or even $10 a gallon, it is nearly ALWAYS cheaper to go by car than train, and faster, and more convenient, and relaxing, when the above is include-— i.e. my car is parked outside my door, my train is not.
I cannot afford to go anywhere on the train with my 3 kids and would suffer a heart attack carrying the bags if I did.
Previous example offered was LA to San Diego, by car or train.
Car $25.
Train: $250
New World Order dudes like to pack us all into easily controlled high rises and on to easily watched over mass transit;
gimme my freedom and a car, or even a bicycle.
but I find the train from Seattle to Portland a good deal, and also the train from NYC to D.C.