Had a similar comment in mind. The cost for a coach seat on a train to the nearest destination city that there's actually a route to costs about 3x as much as a round trip flight (budget airline) and takes over 24 hours. I would prefer rail were it practical, but it's not.

No secret that our rail systems suck though. I have taken trains in Europe and Japan, and those experiences were great!

I'm not disagreeing with you but I think we all need to start including airport hassle time into our statements of flight times. In my limited experience train stations involve less of that bullshit, although obviously you can only go when the train is ready, as opposed to starting your car and hitting the highway. Neither Logan (Boston) nor LaGuardia (New York) is swift or easy, especially if you have any baggage, and there is also the travel time to actually get into the city, which can easily add another hour in traffic. Train stations tend to be in the heart of downtown.

(Tbf, I in Los Angeles live much closer to LAX than to Union Station so ymmv)

This happens in Europe too.

A few years back I had to go to my company's northernmost office. It took about 20 hours of travel, 19 hours of which was on trains, and I didn't even reach my destination. The train couldn't get far enough because of the snow, and was replaced with a bus. Only I couldn't go on it, and so my company shelled out about another $170 for a taxi from one town to the other.

All in all, trip there and back costed ~$500, not counting the taxi.

Meanwhile, looking now, I could take a flight instead. I'd have to take a train or a bus to the airport, that'll take about two hours of course, but it'll cost me about $30. The flight will take 1½ hours, and will cost $150 including the trip back. So, about $210 for the entire trip.

flight time is actually closer to 80-90 minutes between the two cities. plus taxi time of 10-20+ minutes at each end.. plus dealing with getting to and from the airport, maybe parking, and random tsa shenanigans inside.

compare that to the actual 3.5 hour acela route that starts at ~ $74, that directly connects midtown manhattan to south station or back bay.

Trains had their chance after 9/11 and blew it. If they were as cheap as the airlines it would’ve become the way to travel (especially considering no TSA).

Damn in Germany that would be about 100€ if you book early, 200€ if you want to leave tomorrow at prime time

Chinatown bus ftw

Same story with trains through Sweden. Takes too long and is somehow more expensive.

It can and often is worse for the environment in the US too. Pretty much anywhere outside the NE corridor.

It really depends on where your starting and ending destinations are. Also, if you book Acela far enough in advance, which you’re assuming for the flight, it’ll usually be cheaper than flying, especially factoring in the cost of getting to the airport.

A reporter tried this back in 2021 and there was only a five minute difference between train and flying. Trains are also less affected by weather.

Every situation is unique, but I’ve found the train to be the better option on several occasions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/timing-myself-taking-the-train-and-flying-between-ny-boston-2021-3

Well it depends on needs too. I tried to explain this before is that if you're 4 hours away in travel for something that could be done in 1 hours worth of travel, something that's as important as your mom dying; Are you gonna take the 4hour train or the 1hour plane?