Counterpoint, we are much richer than Europe (and technology has some a long way) and if we had the will we could do it. As my example, I will cite China.
Replies
Obviously Scalzi is correct that you cannot just take a train basically anywhere in the US outside the DC-Boston corridor (and even then it is slower than driving and costs as much as flying), but it doesn't have to be that way.
aug 31, 2025, 11:48 pm • 35 1 • view
I love the fact that it is quicker to take the train from Philly to Baltimore than it is to drive. (And usually cheaper.)
sep 1, 2025, 12:36 am • 1 0 • view
I recently was in Cleveland and deliberately chose to take the train back to NJ just to know what the experience was like. There were two trains out, and mine left at the highly convenient 2 AM.
sep 1, 2025, 12:03 am • 10 0 • view
I'm in Cincinnati. Our ONE train only comes through 2-3 times a week, heads for either Chicago or (IIRC) NYC, & everything happens at 4am. (On the plus side, our rail station is in the basement of the Hall of Justice.) I will bore anyone who stands still about my desire for Ohio passenger rail.
sep 1, 2025, 12:32 am • 9 0 • view
I have thought about visiting friends in Toronto by overnight train, but the challenge is getting to Cleveland so I can catch the connection to Buffalo. Driving to Cleveland takes 5+ hours. Flying adds so much hassle I might as well just save ALL the time and fly the whole way.
sep 1, 2025, 12:36 am • 1 0 • view
The train from Boston to NYC is faster than driving when you factor in the traffic in Connecticut... And I've seen people get tickets for $30 each way if you book far enough ahead and don't take the Acela.
sep 1, 2025, 12:32 am • 5 0 • view
Boston to NYC, and NYC to DC, are faster than driving if you're doing it during rush hour. But not always.
sep 1, 2025, 12:53 am • 0 0 • view
My kid wanted to go from New Jersey to South Carolina this summer by train and it was going to take 24 hours and cost more than flying Newark to Columbia. I just bought them a plane ticket.
sep 1, 2025, 1:22 am • 3 0 • view
I came to a similar conclusion when I looked at ways to get from San Jose to Seattle for WorldCon. There actually is a train that runs between those two cities! But it would cost almost as much as flying and take 24 hours as opposed to 2-2.5 hours.
sep 1, 2025, 2:41 am • 1 0 • view
Driving would be significantly faster than the train, if you’re unhinged enough to drive 13 hours without stoping for the night.
sep 1, 2025, 2:49 am • 0 0 • view
Sigh. 40+ years ago I worked on that train. The saying goes, if you want to enjoy your destination, fly. If you want to enjoy your trip, take the train.” Not always, but usually the train is a wildly better experience. Obviously, it should be faster, but…capitalism and dysfunctional government
sep 1, 2025, 3:03 am • 1 0 • view
I would kill for a proper NEC extension to the Carolinas. I have close friends in the Charlotte area and hate dealing w/ the hassle of flying just to visit them.
sep 1, 2025, 2:37 am • 0 0 • view
It’s actually not slower than driving. That’s a fantastic rail line, especially the DC-NYC leg. I grew up taking that route regularly and was shocked by the terrible train service when I moved to California after college.
sep 1, 2025, 12:31 am • 5 0 • view
It is slower than driving the places I have used it (Philly-NYC and NC to DC or Philly). Acela is faster than driving, but costs more than a flight.
sep 1, 2025, 12:51 am • 3 0 • view
Ah, gotcha. It falls apart south of DC. The access and times into VA and NC are terrible, that’s definitely true. But DC to NYC (the route I took most often) is Europe-level good.
sep 1, 2025, 2:54 am • 0 0 • view
The regular Northeast express from DC to NYC takes 3-ish hours. Way faster than driving. Just still bitter than the last southbound NEX train out of NYC (11PM) has a 4 hour layover in Philly and doesnt get into DC until 6AM anymore. Cant do day trips anymore.
sep 1, 2025, 12:56 am • 3 0 • view
I take the train from Philly to NYC and vice versa quite often, and it's definitely faster than driving. The Keystone Express (not Acela) is 90 minutes to 2 hours, which is the same as driving and more consistent than having to deal with Lincoln Tunnel traffic. My last train was like $40 RT.
sep 1, 2025, 7:41 am • 1 0 • view
Fwiw, when adding travel time to the airport, security, boarding, and the necessary buffer in case any of that goes wrong, NEC trains are frequently faster than flying. I just show up to Penn a half hour before my train leaves and I'm good. (Driving has a labor cost often ignored in this calculus)
sep 1, 2025, 2:34 am • 2 0 • view
Regular, sold-out trains between Portland, OR and Seattle, WA! We were excited for more runs and upgraded trains, but, with Trump being bought off by Big Oil, who knows what's gonna happen.
sep 2, 2025, 12:07 am • 2 0 • view
Will get better when new train sets arrive next year to replace those taken offline for corrosion. amtrakcascades.com/about/new-am...
sep 2, 2025, 4:22 am • 1 0 • view
Absolutely. Hooray for trains to Portland! And also the EastLink, and the Lynnwood extension.
sep 2, 2025, 1:01 am • 1 0 • view
Is it as ubiquitous as in Europe? Of course not. But I take the train between Detroit & Chicago very regularly and it's great. Comfortable, reasonably fast, very convenient, and pretty cheap. If we subsidized rails as much as we do roads, it would be even better.
sep 1, 2025, 12:16 am • 16 0 • view
I take the MKE-Chicago train and it's wonderful. It's fast, it's convenient, and, when you consider tolls and wear and tear on the car (not to mention downtown Chicago parking), it costs the same or even less.
sep 2, 2025, 1:30 pm • 0 0 • view
I have also taken the Minneapolis-MKE train and it's way better than driving. I watch the beautiful post-glacier scenery or read my book while someone else drives me.
sep 2, 2025, 1:31 pm • 0 0 • view
When I was in college I took the train from Denver to Providence and back a few times. It took two days and a long layover in Chicago and I loved it bc I love trains. It was also an odd mix of people who could afford to fly (it was as costly) but chose not to for whatever reason, so that was fun too
sep 1, 2025, 1:10 am • 2 0 • view
And the scenery is amazing!
sep 1, 2025, 3:03 am • 2 0 • view
but a functioning train system would primarily help poorer people, and we can't have that
sep 1, 2025, 12:18 am • 4 0 • view
the US is richer per capita than some European countries and poorer than others tbh
sep 1, 2025, 12:23 am • 2 0 • view
Welllll...no. China does have a great rail service in the part of the country which is densely populated, but it is nowhere nearly as good in the rest of the country. And the rest of the country? Is as empty as north America and much more impassible: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
aug 31, 2025, 11:52 pm • 3 0 • view
Yes, and the US could accomplish that. We could have adequate rail from Miami to Boston and out the Midwest, and all along the west coast and several lines across east to west. It can't be as dense as the UK, but it can be close to Europe for the majority of people.
aug 31, 2025, 11:55 pm • 2 0 • view