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Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

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Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#131

Post by folmar »

IncreasePosts wrote: post #91
bitschubser_ wrote: post #2

If you now could just book a train between these cities on a common european platform (or local transportation provider...)... one could dream... just booking a train and getting a quote crossing multiple borders (without interrail) is just a nightmare :(

Why isn't there a Google flights for trains? Do the operators hoard their data?

Not needed, at least in most Europe. Operators share data and you can get timetable information from any of them for all trains, including combined itinearies, and the expectation is you get information from your local train company.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#132

Post by thatcat »

likeabatterycar wrote: post #126
yndoendo wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would travel more around the USA if we had a decedent high-speed rail system. Spent too much time flying, red-eyes, and driving for work, 7-12+ hours one way, and hate those modes of transportation. They may get you from point A to B but your time is wasted along with the enjoyment of the trip. Unfortunately the Oil industry won over the politicians in the USA with donations, legal bribes, and they prevent the buil…

Can you provide sources for the Big Oil conspiracy you cite? Because nationwide high speed rail isn't as easy - or practical - as you think. California hadn't been able to build a train a fraction of that distance without delays and squandering massive amounts of money. The PNW has been unable to build it from Portland to Vancouver. The US is many times larger than any European country or Japan. There are US states s…

China, Russia, and India have high speed rail.

Can you cite the reasons that these large countries are capable of building high speed rail while the US is not?

Where is the recent innovation in US air travel? It has gotten considerably worse over the last 30 years. Supersonic passenger flights stopped in 2003 around the same time that TSA added hours to every flight.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#133

Post by riedel »

likeabatterycar wrote: post #125
tzury wrote: post #80

About 20 years ago, I visited most of Europe’s major cities over the course of a two-month trip, traveling primarily by night train. Each overnight ride saved me the cost of a hostel or guesthouse, and I’d arrive in a new city each morning feeling refreshed because of the train’s sleeping accommodations. There used to be a similar service between Toronto and Montreal (both directions), where the train would pause for…

> There used to be a similar service between Toronto and Montreal (both directions), where the train would pause for several hours midway so passengers would arrive at around 7:30 a.m. well-rested. That trip is 1h 15m by air with 30 flights a day each way. That train doesn't exist anymore because it's impractical and people's time is valuable. We stopped taking Conestoga wagons from New York to California for the sam…

There is also flights in Europe that are faster. I recently traveled from Stuttgart to Vienna via night train. It was even more expensive. But this is not the point. Time sleeping in a night train is not lost. Also typically getting to the airport and from the airport into the city takes time. Same for airport security. And if there is enough wind that night one might even travel CO2 emission free.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#134

Post by thatcat »

lotsoweiners wrote: post #130
yndoendo wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would travel more around the USA if we had a decedent high-speed rail system. Spent too much time flying, red-eyes, and driving for work, 7-12+ hours one way, and hate those modes of transportation. They may get you from point A to B but your time is wasted along with the enjoyment of the trip. Unfortunately the Oil industry won over the politicians in the USA with donations, legal bribes, and they prevent the buil…

I’m not sure about that. I’d imagine that trains are going to have the worst of both worlds. They will take a long time (closer to amount of time to drive to destination). They also will have costs approaching that of a flight. To me a train trip makes sense if you enjoy trains and feel that the travel itself is part of the reward.

Maintenance cost and fuel costs are considerably lower for trains, why would they cost the same amount?

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#135

Post by sbuk »

lotsoweiners wrote: post #130
yndoendo wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would travel more around the USA if we had a decedent high-speed rail system. Spent too much time flying, red-eyes, and driving for work, 7-12+ hours one way, and hate those modes of transportation. They may get you from point A to B but your time is wasted along with the enjoyment of the trip. Unfortunately the Oil industry won over the politicians in the USA with donations, legal bribes, and they prevent the buil…

I’m not sure about that. I’d imagine that trains are going to have the worst of both worlds. They will take a long time (closer to amount of time to drive to destination). They also will have costs approaching that of a flight. To me a train trip makes sense if you enjoy trains and feel that the travel itself is part of the reward.

High speed rail in Europe (mainly France) runs at an average speed of 270km/h (167mph), usually city centre to city centre. It is often more convenient than flying, given check-in times and airport distance from cities. It’s certainly quicker than driving.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#136

Post by timomaxgalvin »

FartyMcFarter wrote: post #50
louthy wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there’s a train every 30 mins then sure it’s worth optimising, missing a train isn’t like missing a flight most of the time.

That is only true in the simplest scenario of taking a train on a flexible ticket and without any transfers. As soon as you have transfers in the mix (as you often would if travelling longer distances) or stricter tickets, not making it to the train is usually a really bad option.

You don't need a new ticket if you miss you transfer. You only have t be on time for the first train, which is probably waking distance in most cases.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#137

Post by karaterobot »

thatcat wrote: post #132
likeabatterycar wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you provide sources for the Big Oil conspiracy you cite? Because nationwide high speed rail isn't as easy - or practical - as you think. California hadn't been able to build a train a fraction of that distance without delays and squandering massive amounts of money. The PNW has been unable to build it from Portland to Vancouver. The US is many times larger than any European country or Japan. There are US states s…

China, Russia, and India have high speed rail. Can you cite the reasons that these large countries are capable of building high speed rail while the US is not? Where is the recent innovation in US air travel? It has gotten considerably worse over the last 30 years. Supersonic passenger flights stopped in 2003 around the same time that TSA added hours to every flight.

[flagged]

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#138

Post by mrweasel »

CalRobert wrote: post #61
mrweasel wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you don't happen to live within the city center. Train stations frequently have zero long term parking, while airport frequently have cheap or even free long term parking. If you need to take the train where I live, then you're better of driving to the airport and park there. Then take a train or bus to the city center and the train station. I did like to take the train more often, but travel times are just to…

What airport in Europe has cheap or free long term parking?!??

Aalborg in Denmark used to be free, but is now ~24 USD for 8 days, $3 per started 24 hours. Parking by the train station is at least $30+ per day.

Billund is $45 for a week and Copenhagen is $70 for a week. That covers the three busiest Danish airports. Parking is cheap, especially compared to the time save by taking the plane.

I get its different from country to country and I guess I'm just really annoyed with the continued insisting that trains are better than planes, when there's almost no benefit to trains in my country. They are practically pointless, out matched by busses, planes and cars, unless you just happen to have a usage pattern that fit exactly with the layout and timetables.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#139

Post by Beijinger »

tzury wrote: post #80

About 20 years ago, I visited most of Europe’s major cities over the course of a two-month trip, traveling primarily by night train. Each overnight ride saved me the cost of a hostel or guesthouse, and I’d arrive in a new city each morning feeling refreshed because of the train’s sleeping accommodations. There used to be a similar service between Toronto and Montreal (both directions), where the train would pause for…

"I’d arrive in a new city each morning feeling refreshed because of the train’s sleeping accommodations."

Aeh, where were you travelling? Many countries did not have sleeper trains. Don't get me wrong. I did the same, travelling at night in trains, and it saved me a night in a hotel. But I did not arrive well rested, I arrived train wrecked.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#140

Post by bigblind »

Being visually impaired, I love the independence that the public transport network in Central Europe gives me. I live in the Netherlands, and frequently visit my parents in Belgium. I've also visited friends in Germany, all without relying on a sighted companion for transportation.
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