As someone living in Europe and trying to use train more, it is often a clusterfuck of changing trains, delays and cancellations. We checked many different routes around Europe and it would all take much longer (sometimes multiple days) than a simple direct flight.
It boggles my mind that this isn’t the norm. Train travel should be competitive with highway travel and yet in Canada it is the most expensive way to travel (except maybe small flights bouncing around way up north).
Agreed, it’s the same in the US. Flying is much faster and often significantly cheaper. I wish rail was more economical, would love to take a sleeper train to travel the country but I can’t justify the price.
But it’s the same in Europe.
I still have to get to one of these cities with a sleeper route to a destination I want to go.
If you are interested in international train travel, particularly in Europe- a shout out for the totally excellent https://www.seat61.com/
… a passion project that has been going for years and years and basically tells you the best way to get from anywhere to anywhere by train
I wish, but it ain’t it chief. Low cost flights are too cheap and cross border trains way too expensive still. I’ve been booking a lot of journeys in the last week and unfortunately for long distance trips I’m forced to fly or I break my bank. Things might change relatively soon though.
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there’s also the option of making holidays closer to home
We also have the option of not taking vacations at all and just staying home 24/7.
yeah, ok. I mean, he was talking about “trying to do his part” and therefore taking the train. But it was too uncomfortable for him, largely because he chose to go long distance. So if he wants to keep trying, instead of giving up and recommending everybody to take a plane, as he does, he might take a holiday closer to home.
Oh boy, this bogus article again.
Yes, train is cheaper than plane if you tack on an extra hotel night for no reason.
There’s no difference between leaving on a Friday night and arriving on a Saturday morning by night train, and leaving on a Saturday morning and arriving on the same morning by plane.
Add to this that sleepover trains aren’t available for the vast majority of destinations in Europe, and this article feels more and more like an ad paid for by the companies, which basically represent the entirety of the sleeper train option.
Addendum : I love the “a family of 4 saves £94, vut an even larger family could save up to £300!” part. Yes, if I took my entire extended family with me, we could even save over a grand on the trip !
“You’re also less likely to get stranded by a last-minute flight cancellation or lengthy delay - a nightmare that can destroy the most meticulously-planned holiday.” Ah yes, the train, a mean of transportation that is notoriously known for it’s reliability and lack of delay.
You want a cheap, low-impact holiday transportation? Coaches will get you across Europe for actually cheaper than planes, no ifs or buts, and aren’t too polluting as long as they’re full (also, trains are only “clean” transportation as long as they run on electricity and said electricity isn’t produced by burning coal or oil)
I disagree. I can take a train from my home station, and arrive in the city center. For the Airport I have to drive there ~1h, 1,5h Buffer, 1h Flight, 1h Transfer back to the city. So the train is faster for every trip that’s shorter than 4,5 hours. Also not polluting the environment needlessly is also a big bonus for the train. Even if trains run on coal they pollute vastly less than Planes.
But can you fly from your homestation to the city center? Would anybody want to? I don’t understand your comment.
Where do you live, that your city center is so far away that a 1 hour trip by car doesnt get you to your destination???? We are talking about Plane vs Train? Or you don’t know Europe? Most Cities don’t have an Airport less than 60 Minutes away
Were you gonna take the train to the airport? And then fly? And then take the train?
No, take the train to my destination
I am still lost. From where to where are we travelling? Sure, i can also take a train from my home station to the city center. if i wanted to go to a different country i would have to go to center, take a train from there and that one then has mutliple connecting trains as europe is not well connected. one of them is too late? well, now youre waiting. stranded for hours. I need 6 hours to go from Hamburg to France and then another Hour or more to get into a city center there.
Plane is 2 Hours plus waiting, boarding and driving to the airport. Which is 45 Minutes away. 30 by carStill there is no proof that Europe’s Railways are badly connected. The network they offer is still way more dense than the Airport network, even if you only look at long distance trains. When I want to go to Paris I can take a train that takes 3 hours, or I can drive 1 hour to the Airport, plan 1,5 hours buffer, fly some minutes, land, and need to drive back 1 hour. (Also easyJet & co close boarding 30 Minutes before departure, and you need to calculate some time for security and baggage drop off). Total flight time is usually much longer than many think. Eurostar is also faster than flying between London and Paris/Brussels
