Travel WTFs
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I didn't find an appropriate thread, so I'm paying the thread tax. Just what it says on the tin, any
related to travel.To start off, here's why nobody travels by train in the US:
There are a number of events I want to attend later this year, some of which are farther than I want to drive. Somebody suggested I take the train. Why didn't I think of that? I love trains (as long as I don't have to travel on one).
The first event is in Tulsa, OK. (This is the specific event he suggested taking the train to.) Austin to Dallas, change trains in Dallas, Dallas to Tulsa. Just one problem: There's no train to Tulsa; it goes to Oklahoma City, not Tulsa. That's 100 miles (160 km) from where I want to go. No, two hours on a bus from Oklahoma City to Tulsa is not an acceptable solution. Oh, well. If the train doesn't go there, it doesn't go there.
The other big event is just outside Atlanta. Yes, I can get to Atlanta by train. Turns out it isn't very convenient, though. Let's compare the train with flying:
ÂMode  Cost (round-trip)  Duration (each way) Air  $250 2.5 hours Driving  <$400 + probably one night in a motel each way 14–15 hours (plus stops) Train  $350 70 hours To get to Atlanta by train takes 3 days, by way of Chicago and Virginia, costs more than flying, and is less comfortable. (Triple the price if you want a bed to sleep in during your 2 nights trying to sleep on the train.)
This is why Amtrak has lost money every year of its existence.
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On short notice, travelling by interrail across the EU is about half the price of flying and takes a full day, whereas flying takes about 4-5 hours with all the transit and shit to get to/from airports.
Overnight trains might be available but I didn't bother looking for them since Sweden is a bit offside for train to start with.
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@Carnage You can overnight train from Stockholm to Berlin, which gets you down into the continental rail system.
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@Carnage Why choose between rail and ferry if you can use both at the same time?
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@PleegWat said in Travel WTFs:
@Carnage Why choose between rail and ferry if you can use both at the same time?
While true, we didn't build that fancy bridge for nothing.
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@Carnage said in Travel WTFs:
While true, we didn't build that fancy bridge for nothing.
It might be the Puttgarden/Rødbyhavn ferry. There are other trans-Baltic routes that have the capability to put trains on ferries, but I think that's the main one (in that it carries København/Hamburg traffic, which would otherwise have quite a long detour by Kolding) and thus most likely to have an ICE on it.
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@Carnage said in Travel WTFs:
On short notice, travelling by interrail across the EU is about half the price of flying and takes a full day, whereas flying takes about 4-5 hours with all the transit and shit to get to/from airports.
I remember that it used to be touch and go whether to get a train or plane from here to Paris or Brussels, and anywhere further (or over to Ireland) the plane would win. The key problem was that the rail route involved going to London and changing stations there, a horrible experience with much opportunity for things to go wrong with connections.
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@HardwareGeek said in Travel WTFs:
by way of ... Virginia
The Cardinal (from Chicago) and the Southern Crescent (to Georgia) both start/end their journeys in Washington, DC. You can choose to have your layover in Alexandria or Charlottesville instead. I'd definitely recommend Alexandria over C'ville since it has better transit connections (DC Metro) and more unique experiences (Masonic temple, plus all the DC stuff).
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@TwelveBaud said in Travel WTFs:
Virginia
The Cardinal (from Chicago) and the Southern Crescent (to Georgia) both start/end their journeys in Washington, DC. You can choose to have your layover in Alexandria or Charlottesville instead. I'd definitely recommend Alexandria over C'ville
I believe it was Charlottesville that was named on the Amtrak website as the place to change trains. That's what I thought I remembered, and now that you mentioned it, I'm almost certain.
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@HardwareGeek It's a very small place with only one notable feature: the ferry port.
