After a while - a person begins to re-evaluate travel in general. If getting to point B fast is the most important factor - then air travel will be first among our choices.

But, there are times when getting there is an important part of the whole process and from what I have heard from friends who have traveled by train - a nice train trip will definitely be on our 'to do' list for future travel.

Adjectives used to describe the train trip were: Relaxed, classy, comfortable, elegant, superb.

When was the last time we used those adjectives to describe our flight??? NEVER - especially so if you are an economy passenger like most of us are.

She was describing regular train travel - it was not high speed travel. So, it is quite possible to see regular people who have time to travel rethinking how they get from point A to B and seriously considering train travel. We will.

Posted By CMM on March 24, 2011, 8:59 PM

Trains. Arrive to station minutes before departure. Move about the cabin at your leisure. All luggage remains with you. Safer landings.

Posted By Tina on March 25, 2011, 12:26 AM

When you think of how many hours you have to waste to get to the airport early in order to be virtually strip searched, irradiated, groped, screamed at, and treated like crap - and that's before you have to sit on a cramped plane, after having paid how much money to check your luggage just so the airlines can lose it, not getting even a snack for free, not being allowed to go to the bathroom or leave a plane for hours if you're stuck - just put those extra hours towards train travel. Trains aren't perfect either and Amtrak are really shooting themselves in the foot by charging the same/more than flights when they take much longer but sometimes you can find a deal especially if you book early. I'll take a train over a plane any day now - hell, I'm even taking buses over planes. It's just too bad the options aren't as easy for international travel.

Posted By Liz on March 28, 2011, 9:44 AM

Just booked a train from Kansas City to Chicago for a convention this summer. It's about half price without considering baggage fees and looks to be about 3-4 hours extra which will be partially made up by travel time to and from distant airports. I'm looking forward to it.

Posted By Barry on March 28, 2011, 10:08 AM

Just booked a train from Kansas City to Chicago for a convention this summer. It's about half price without considering baggage fees and looks to be about 3-4 hours extra which will be partially made up by travel time to and from distant airports. I'm looking forward to it.

Posted By Barry on March 28, 2011, 10:09 AM

I'd travel by train, for short trips, at least, if it were an easy option from where I live. However, if it is necessary to be on the train overnight, you either sit in a seat all night, with no way to secure your luggage, or you pay (often) a hundred $ or more for a compartment. If those weren't so expensive, it would be a wonderful way to travel, and worth the 2 hr trip to the station!

Posted By Margaret on March 28, 2011, 10:37 AM

I like choo choos but....Trains still slow, inconvenient, and expensive. There is a reason Amtrak continues to loose money. With the current budget and deficit problems we have money losing Obamatrains are hardly a priority.

Posted By Nick P on March 28, 2011, 10:50 AM

Trains whenever possible. You would agree with me completely if you have ever had the pleasure of using the Japan rail system. Yes - pleasure.

Posted By Ben on March 28, 2011, 10:58 AM

Having traveled on many of the high-speed trains in other countries, I would take that route any day over planes for travel up to 500 miles more-or-less. For long distances (e.g., transcontinental), planes are still worth the pain and cost because of time saved.

Posted By Andrew M. Johnson on March 28, 2011, 11:10 AM

My friends and I took a cruise out of NYC and decided, due to the stress of flying and all the extra charges, we'd try the train. Amtrak had a very good deal on the trip from B'ham AL to NYC so we took it. Yes, it took much longer (22 hours), but it was so enjoyable that we decided to do it again. We wanted to see the whole Crescent line so after our cruise, we took the train from B'ham to N.O. (it's starting point), spent the night in N.O. and the next morning...we took the train back to B'ham. We LOVE Amtrak and are now planning to see the whole country by rail. Such fun!!!!

Posted By Carolyn McCravy on March 28, 2011, 12:09 PM

I have looked into taking trains several times but they cost more, take longer and quite frankly don't go nearly as many places as you can find airports. When necessary, I fly but for my money, I prefer to go on cruises or drive.

Posted By Ingrid on March 28, 2011, 12:29 PM

Although the plane is fast , the seating is wayyyyyyyy too small for long hauls AND the airport experience now suckkkkkkkks .
Friends and family can no longer see you off or meet you at the gate ,
And when meeting elderly , this is a very offensive policy .

The train is good except for long hauls as there are No showers and people end up really rank after a while .

Posted By kate on March 28, 2011, 12:35 PM

I'll take a train every time, comfort, able to walk around, and real food and snacks...I count the extra time as part of my vacation.

Posted By Jan on March 28, 2011, 1:19 PM

It's a shame but so true...I always think about the good old days when I would get so excited to fly, that was the best :-) but now it's just one big hassle and not much fun anymore.

Trains are a great alternative but for me, it takes too long to get there. I can plan activities for one way but coming back the same way, I usually dread it

Posted By Pat on March 28, 2011, 1:20 PM

As a former flight attendant, I have had my fill of hectic airports and grumpy fliers. I watched a show about the Empire Builder and my dream is now to take a train trip from Chicago to Seattle to experience that. Sure it may take up my whole vacation just on the journey, but as T.S. Elliot said "the journey not the arrival matters"

Posted By Linds on March 28, 2011, 1:29 PM

I have done many long haul train journeys, in Europe one time I went from London to Beirut. It took a week and I loved every minute. You meet loads of interesting people and the journey itself is part of the vacation. I have also done several long distance flights. One was seventeen hours and I can say that the week long train journey was far better than the 17 hour flight. These days if we want to visit our family in California it takes more than 24 hours from our home in France. We can take a train swiftly to Paris but we need to leave the day before the flight as we have to get to the airport three hours early,so it means an overnight stop in an hotel. The time it then takes to get onto the plane is dreadful. Then we invariably have to change planes and wait around for a few hours in yet another airport. When we finally arrive we have to be met and drive another 11/2 to four hours depending on traffic. It is no wonder we haven't been back for a few years. We live a six hour drive from Paris, the train does the journey in three hours. It would take as long to fly. Trains go city centre to city centre, no hassle of having to find a way into the centre of an unfamiliar city. It is a shame though that Amtrak were allowed to decline. I have travelled Amtrak on a three day journey from San Diego to Des Moines. It wasn't bad but it did seem slow. I would gladly travel by train from France to California if it were possible.

Posted By Kris on March 28, 2011, 1:45 PM

We need to slow down and "smell the flowers".
I love the train. Great leg room, bag space, etc..
Let's readjust our schedules to factor in a slower pace in life.
We would all be less aggressive..

Posted By Tony Di Bona on March 28, 2011, 2:28 PM

When you need a car for a period of time at your destination, the train is the only way to go. I took the autotrain from Florida to Virginia and it was very comfortable and relaxing. We did have a cabin for the night, but the cost was comparable to a night at a hotel along the way. When we arrived in Virginia early the next morning, our drive to New England was an enjoyable one. Plus, we didn't have to wait in line for a rental car!

Posted By Karen on March 28, 2011, 2:30 PM

I love the train and would take it anytime over the plane. Flying is a horror story now. In the 1970s we lived in Syracuse, NY and I took my kids on the train to NYC to visit family all the time. It was very enjoyable, and in those days it was cheaper than flying. Where I live now, our local Amtrak station was destroyed in Katrina, and it hasn't been rebuilt, so we have to go 82 miles to New Orleans to get the train. Very inconvenient. The other problem with Amtrak nowadays is that the fares change all the time like the air fares and they have gotten very expensive. I wish we had more trains in this country. I don't even care about high-speed trains; let's just get more trains and fair pricing. The powers-that-be in this country have stopped caring about what people want, and I'm fed up. We are getting more primitive all the time.

Posted By Carole Dunn on March 28, 2011, 2:35 PM

We are both retired and our health is not the best. I can no longer rush through the airport and stand in a line clearing security. Currently there is no AMTrack station convenient for our use. The cost is attractive as compared to airflights. Time is no longer a consideration so train travel is a option, however the railroads in their shortsightness have torn up and abandoned right of way so that rail travel is not convenient since we would have to drive so far escalating the cost. We do have an International Airport conveniently near so it is a toss-up. In addition, I do not know if I would be allowed to fly given my diminished lung function.

Retired in Ohio

Posted By NCMcLarkey on March 28, 2011, 2:45 PM

I take Amtrak from San Diego to Seattle, to visit my son and family. I love it. Yes, it is a longer trip but through some amazing country. I have not tried a sleeper but the seats are so roomy you can sleep comfortably. I bring along my DVD player and watch movies. The observation car is a great place for reading and watching the scenery. I've attended wine tastings and lectures. If Amtrak is going my way...I am going with them. Also, I can take up to three bags (free)and bring everyone's gifts up. I can check bags in the night before and not have to worry about getting up so early for my trip. I can't wait for the San Diego to Vegas train they are planning. Train travel should be our countries top priority...e

Posted By elizabeth on March 28, 2011, 2:46 PM

Trains win. Airlines have degraded the flying experence to that of a cattle car. If I really need to get somewhere very fast, I'll sit in one of those uncomfortable sardine seats. breathe the used germ laden air, summit to the strange hands patting my body and riffling thru my personal items.
I do enjoy train travel and will use the train whenever possible. AM-TRACK, British trains, Japan's Hi-Speed trains and the High Speed train between Hong- kong and China's mainland are some of the trains I've enjoyed.
I know it's possible to use the same technology right here in the U.S.A to move large groups of people from place to place in comfort and at high speeds.
What ever the hold up is, we must overcome the problem and embrace the truth, Trains are modern, useful, and a very comfortable ride.

Posted By Toria on March 28, 2011, 2:51 PM

For trips in the 300 mile range from the center of a city to another city center, trains are a far better choice if medium speed trains and higher are offered with enough frquency to use them.

Overnight travel is more like a cruise experience, but the premium cost for the upgrade from coach to a sleeper is exepensvie. Schedules tend to be slow speed and not geard to business travel with exceptions like Atlanta to Washington, DC. Coach travel on a train is better than an overnight bus.

Posted By Paul Margolies on March 28, 2011, 4:02 PM

We traveled round trip Amtrak sleeper from Denver to Seattle last September and it was great overall. The only negative was long layovers at sleepytime hours in Sacramento to change trains.
I envy Europeans and other country travelers with their efficient, frequent, and fast trains. I'm afraid freight rules in the materialistic USA, and passengers don't pay their way.

Posted By Bob on March 28, 2011, 4:10 PM

A friend and I (both female senior citizens) took the overnight train from Shanghai to Beijing, and returned to Shanghai two days later, also on the overnight train. The price was reasonable, the beds clean and comfortable. It was a wonderful experience and saved us the price of two nights lodging in Beijing (that we would have paid if we had flown). We had the lower bunks and two surprised middle-aged Chinese men had the upper bunks. I have traveled Amtrak a couple of times in the U.S. I enjoyed Amtrak, but there is no station in our part of the state. I would do more train travel if I had the opportunity.

Posted By Alice on March 28, 2011, 4:17 PM

We just returned from a trip to Europe. It included a Eurostar leg from Paris to London. Speeds up to 160 MPH, comfortable seats, no baggage hassles and the entire ride smoother than the average jet landing. I'M A BELIEVER.

I'm not an economist so I can't address the practicality of implementing high speed rail here. By the way, we should define high speed rail in the US as 125+ MPH speeds. I've seen articles here proudly proclaim 80 MPH as high speed. Not really.

I hope for the day I can go from my home in Kansas City to either Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, or Denver at total trip times that equate to those offered by airlines.

Posted By Mel on March 28, 2011, 4:27 PM

I live in Canada and some of our trains actually have a business class option which includes meals and drinks. If there were more trains with business class options throughout Canada and USA, I would be train hopping instead of flying. If trains become more popular, there will be more lineups and security procedures but train travel would still be a more pleasant way to travel.

Posted By Debbie Knaut on March 28, 2011, 4:32 PM

I would use Amtrak train service more on the West Coast; however this line (especially in Washington State) is highly prone to landslides/mudslides in the winter and spring. Until Amtrak +/or the appropriate government body deals with this issue, they're going to have a hard time increasing traffic on this route.

Posted By vcinbc on March 28, 2011, 4:59 PM

I agree with Ben on trains for the exact reason he stated: I've had the PLEASURE of using the Japanese rail system. It's convenient, efficient, safe, and clean. If we do get an extensive high-speed rail system in the United States, I just hope that Americans will make themselves keep the trains and stations as clean as the Japanese keep theirs. (Actually, Americans could take a lesson from the Japanese regarding the cleanliness of buses and taxis, too.)

Posted By Beth on March 28, 2011, 5:06 PM

My 84 year old mom - well travelled to the tune of over 3 dozen trips over the Atlantic - has just done two train trips across the country over the last 6 months. She loved it and admits that it's time to spend the time in her own country. I've always wanted to do the same after seeing an aunt and uncle's Canadian trip from coast to coast in the 70's.

Posted By Martha on March 28, 2011, 8:12 PM

Our one Amtrak experience was very enjoyable and I would definitely look at taking the train again. It was 16 hours to NYC but I figured it wouldn't have been much quicker to fly with the waiting and then getting to Manhattan from the airport plus Amtrak was about half the price. Very good deal. I like flying but we're fortunate to never really have had a bad experience there either.

Posted By Diana on March 28, 2011, 8:52 PM

Even today with moderately fast trains, they beat planes when traveling between downtown Portland and downtown Seattle. 3.5 hours by train plus 15 minutes on each end. That includes getting to and from the train station. Driving is about 2 hours 45 minutes unless there is a traffic jam somewhere which is fairly common somewhere between Olympia and Seattle. Flying is about an hour in the air and at least an hour on each end since neither airport is downtown. Most importantly, there is room to relax on the train, something completely impossible in either the car or the plane. The only advantage to driving or flying is that there are more flights available and I can drive at any time. The train is an obvious choice. And now the train also offers free wi-fi. When you add parking at a downtown hotel these days, the cost of driving just about equals the cost of the train. Flying is definitely more expensive.

On longer trips the time savings is probably less, but the comfort remains higher except for the fact that it is expensive to sleep on the train and it i snot like sleeping at home.

Posted By David on March 28, 2011, 8:55 PM

A few years ago, I went to Montreal and took the train. The disadvantages of having to drive to New York State from Connecticut were less of a hassle than getting to any of the airports and waiting hours for the flight. Yes, it took longer on the train, but I knew that and anticipated it with books, cards and other "games," and some lovely naps along the way. And the scenery along the Hudson River was fantastic. It was such a good experience, I have often thought of repeating it (even without the stay in Montreal!) just for that relaxing train ride. If I could ride the rails to London this summer, I'd do it in a hearbeat!!

Posted By Allison on March 28, 2011, 9:02 PM

I love riding the train. I have ridden the train from London to Edinburgh, it was a sleeper,and while not luxurious, the accomodations were very nice, and the dining car was 1st class. I have also ridden the trains in the US and Canada. Not the same, but still a nice ride. I would use trains often if they were available in my home city. I have checked for several different trips over the years, but the train trips are always 2-3 days and go to out of the way places before going to where I want to go. More stations, more routes, and high speed trains would be nice.

Posted By Jerilyn on March 28, 2011, 9:07 PM

How apropos. A week ago I was pulling into NYC's Penn Station on the Acela from Boston. I absolutely loved the trip. It was my first high speed rail trip (only one in the US as I understand it), my first train ride in over a decade, and it was just perfect. Relaxed, classy, elegant, superb - all checks. There was a certain qualia about the whole experience that was inexplicably nice - I felt like a kid again. Just a little cheaper, and more ubiquitous, and it's an all around win.

Posted By Mike on March 28, 2011, 9:56 PM

Need more RR stops in US like in 1940s era.
& use planes for Overseas Hops or Have to get thier Fast to connect to overseas flights.
Otherwise use RR Trains domestically, Need more Options & esp Airport RR Centers alone.

Posted By stephen russell on March 28, 2011, 11:12 PM

I was a frequent user of Amtrak between San Diego and San Jose, what is needed on th West coast is not so much high speed rail as it is another track running parallel to the SINGLE track that is on the right of way now, so through the most highly populated state there is ONLY ONE train daily running north, and one south. Both ways, always late, sometimes as much as 5 or 6 hours. I have often met travelers from other countries, who are astonished at the lack of rail service! It is incomprehensible that this has not been remedied.
S

Posted By Suzanne on March 28, 2011, 11:41 PM

Love trains, I think we should invest in more. Train rides are nicer than long car trips. Can watch the scenery, get up & walk around, etc. Not trapped in a seat & seat belt. Flying is fine if I need to go far/fast.

Posted By Elaine on March 29, 2011, 12:34 AM

I have experienced rail travel all over Europe and the Middle East, and have had both enjoyable and not so enjoyable trips. It still amazes me that we still have areas with single tracks ! The RR treat passengers as an afterthought, if they show up for travel, fine; if not, so what ! That attitude toward passengers has to change before any improvement in service will occur. I know that the encouragement of free enterprise and more competition can and will improve service. Personally, I would take the train for trips up to a thousand miles over a plane. If we dont know how to do it,get a European company to run it !!

Posted By Andrew on March 29, 2011, 3:52 AM

I've used trains a lot in England and Japan while working. Both countries have high population densities AND the trains are subsidized with tax revenue. Trains are "OK" if you have an intergrated transportation system of plentiful taxis, buses, subways, local trains and high speed trains. Japan has 127 million people packed into 25% of the land area near the coast. There flat out isn't room for that many roads and cars. That model might work in the DC to Boston corridor and to some extent it does. The model doesn't work in the rest of the U.S., not even Chicago to Milwaukee. Trains are an adventure, I'll give you that, but not an economically viable alternative to planes and cars. The privately run airlines make money. Amtrak does not. If trains made sense there would be more trains in the U.S.

Posted By AZ-Badger on March 29, 2011, 10:27 AM

P.S. Just for fun I just looked at Tucson to Milwaukee round-trip on Amtrak. Two "unreserved coach seats" and a "roomette". $1480 and 61 hours each way. Six meals are required per person. I'll budget a skimpy $200 per couple. By air it costs $550 per couple and takes 6 hours which includes the "airport hassle." Meals at $40 per couple. I get to sleep in my own bed on each end and not share a smelly bathroom on the train. I can drive this trip in 30 hours and one night motel for $100 and $250 in gasoline. Oh, and carry-on bags only because of the Chicago to Milwaukee train leg doesn't allow checked bags! I just asked my wife if she wants to take the train. Her reply, "have a nice trip. Do you want me to pick you up in Milwaukee?" Trains have gone the way of horses, buggies, and Model T's.

Posted By AZ - Badger on March 29, 2011, 11:12 AM

In general, I love trains. However, the main route I'd take a train on (Boston-NYC) is so expensive that I now take one of the many, nice, "budget" buses that are offered. I'd love it if there were more affordable, and truly "high speed" routes in our country. I hardly count Acela as "high speed" though, truth be told, if my company is paying for it, that's what I'll take over flying any day.

Posted By Amy on April 4, 2011, 3:05 PM

I live in N/W Florida. We have been without rail service since 2004. We are cut off from all parts of the country. Amtrac needs to put our trains back to work here. We have to drive 200 miles west to New Orleans to connect, or 200 miles east to Tallahassee to connect. Then you have to worry about your vehicle etc.

Posted By Lynn Russell on April 13, 2011, 2:47 PM