Can a train beat a plane?
There’s one place in the United States where trains and planes can compete. It’s the Northeastern Corridor of the country. There, North America’s fastest train, the Acela, connects Washington, DC and Boston along with the urban centers along the route. The high-speed train reaches speeds up to 150 miles per hour, a remarkable pace in a country where every other train operates at relatively low speeds. To compete, airlines offer regular flights among these cities with upgraded amenities.
But, can the speed of an airline overcome the comfort and pace of high-speed rail?
Join me in this video as we pit Acela against an Airplane in order to determine which mode of transportation is faster. I’ll also share more comparisons between the two, including the price.
Your videos just started coming into my choices on youtube- so watched several this weekend- very nice! I especially like the non demanding understanding attitude you project, unlike many other bloggers.
But for this topic, some comments- I live in NJ, so often faced with these choices.
1. If you fly from LGA, subway or train often a better choice to the airport- no traffic to get stuck in, much cheaper than a cab. Could also consider EWR- train ride often shorter from Manhattan.
2. If you fly economy the fare is MUCH cheaper. Not much reason to have first class on such a short flight. If you need lounge access, get it from a credit card.
3. My only trip on Accela (Edison, NJ to Boston) was about 10 yrs ago, so may have changed, but:
-train was often too bumpy to work on laptop
-seats and floors were filthy
-no food served for regular Accela price
-many stops that significantly slowed down the trip
-train delayed 30-45 min for a drawbridge that was up (poor planning)
-crew seemed more interested in playing cards than service and made unprofessional announcements
-was only about 1/2 hour faster ( on the schedule) than the regular Amtrak train
-price was 3-4x price in economy on most trunk airlines (Spirit now flies from Newark for about $30; yes, it’s Spirit, but the flight is about as long as the subway to the airport)
-bad weather affects the trains as well as the planes; the trains cancel as well
So I have not been back on Accela since. But I really would like to take the train and I think people would definitely pay for a competent well-planned train service in the Northeast.
Again, thanks very much for the videos!
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