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India has a fairly decent train network, courtesy of the British and the railways are safer than the roads. The railways have been the lifeblood of India since Victorian times and India is currently constructing it's first high speed line.
Right, but it being extensive and the lifeblood and British doesn't make it always more comfortable or a better option than a luxury bus, and having plans to build high speed rail doesn't help anyone today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brave New World
Buses do not offer better seating than trains, and you can even get a shower on a sleeper train, and sleepers are reasonably priced.
Depends on the train, and the bus. There are many routes in the world where one can get a bus that offers better seating than the train.
There might be trains that have better seating than the examples above, but clearly you cannot make the blanket statement that trains offer better seating than buses. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Things like a shower don't matter to me, if I'm on 10-12 hour ride whether it's a train or a bus I just want to be comfortable and arrive not spend my time in some cramped little shower.
The bus is fairly low on my personal list of ways to travel.
Air travel is sadly rarely fun these days unless you have lots of money and I much prefer the ferry or train.
There are a lot of ferry routes in relation to the British Isles, so we have that alternative as well, and many ferry routes offer fairly good cabins at very reasonable prices.
Last edited by Brave New World; 10-07-2018 at 04:29 AM..
Obviously one of the greatest ways to travel ever was by cruise liner and the transatlantic route which is still run by Cunard is still one of the most elegant and comfortable ways to cross the atlantic. Whilst sailing in to the iconic NYC harbour is still one of the best and most memorable ways to enter the US.
The other video is Eurostar from London to the South of France.
Last edited by Brave New World; 10-07-2018 at 06:08 AM..
However it's still just a bus with leather seats, it doesn't go high speed, doesn't serve superb food and doesn't compare to a train
Again you're assuming there is always a faster train with better seats available, and real life = it isn't. Therefore your talk of trains having better seats is rubbish, because it depends on what is available.
Curious = have you ever taken a luxury bus or train Asia?
Again you're assuming there is always a faster train with better seats available, and real life = it isn't. Therefore your talk of trains having better seats is rubbish, because it depends on what is available.
Curious = have you ever taken a luxury bus or train Asia?
I have taken trains on a lot of occasions in differing locations and indeed buses, and I am sorry but in most western countries the train is far faster, and China and many parts of Asia arew investing in high speed rail.
In countries that don't have good rail connections, the roads are usually also not that good.
Even in the US trains generally can reach speeds of over 110 mph, which is more than any bus, and the US has some high speed train etworks such as Acela which reach speeds of 15O mph.
The UK is currently investing a lot of money in rail infrastructure with prpojects such as the new high speed HS2 line and the potential Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, whilst Crossrail and Thameslink will vastly improve London and South East Services.
I have taken trains on a lot of occasions in differing locations and indeed buses, and I am sorry but in most western countries the train is far faster, and China and many parts of Asia arew investing in high speed rail.
I'm sorry you misunderstood my question. Have you taken a luxury bus or train in Asia? Which country was it, and were you able to explore both options?
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Originally Posted by Brave New World
In countries that don't have good rail connections, the roads are usually also not that good.
Yes, there are countries where both rail and road are poor. Which brings one to the two options which are both slow, and the reality that sometimes there are luxury buses that offer better seating and are just as fast as the trains.
Even in the US trains generally can reach speeds of over 110 mph, which is more than any bus, and the US has some high speed train etworks such as Acela which reach speeds of 15O mph.
Several things re US trains:
—Acelas only run between Boston and Washington, DC. The rest of the system uses standard speed trains.
—Acela trains don’t run anywhere near as fast as high speed trains in Europe, at least. And that 110/150 MPH figure is frankly an ideal and rarely in my experience a reality. They certainly don’t run that fast from start to finish, only on select stretches that allow for it when under ideal circumstances, which is by no means the norm. In summer, it’s not unusual to have the trains run slower than the ideal because heat affects the metal tracks, while in autumn, there’s a phenomenon referred to as slippery rail, where falling leaves get squashed on the tracks, forcing the trains to go slower to compensate. In winter, anyplace that gets snow or ice can adversely affect train speeds, too.
—Regardless, given the fact that most Amtrak routes share track with freight lines (which get running priority), it’s not unusual to have an Amtrak run delayed and sometimes significantly. Problem is, you never know for sure what may happen. I’ve ridden on two Amtrak routes that are supposed to be among the most reliable, Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington DC) and Missouri River Runner (Kansas City to St. Louis) and encountered the extremes from smooth on time running to horrific delays, and that includes Acelas on the former. I’ve ridden the City of New Orleans route that runs from Chicago to New Orleans between Memphis and Jackson round trip with no issues. I’ve ridden the Illinois Service route between Chicago and St. Louis as far as Springfield round trip, with one way running fine and the other having a two hour plus delay while sitting waiting for a freight train to enter a yard. I’ve ridden the Silver Service Palmetto route between Savannah and Charleston that was well over an hour late arriving. I’ve ridden the Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and Los Angeles with no issues. I’ve ridden the Cardinal on parts between Chicago, Cincinnati, and Charleston WV and encountered terrible multi-hour delays every time. I’ve ridden the Pennsylvanian between Philadelphia and Lancaster and Harrisburg in round trips with results ranging from on time to better than an hour late. I’ve ridden the Downeaster several times, with results ranging from on time to several hours late.
—Train travel in the US is often expensive, sometimes costing barely less than flying. Bus travel is usually a lot cheaper than either.
—Of the three modes of travel, my experience has been that buses are most often on time. Air travel reliability in the US is generally good but not always as consistent. Trains have been far and away the least reliable for on time running.
For sure, Amtrak train travel is ordinarily more pleasant that bus travel, but the reliability factor frequently negates that for me. Unless the bus doesn’t go there and the train does (and I don’t want to fly) or I don’t care if there’s a big delay or not, Amtrak is not what I normally choose. Wish it were otherwise.
—Acelas only run between Boston and Washington, DC. The rest of the system uses standard speed trains.
—Acela trains don’t run anywhere near as fast as high speed trains in Europe, at least. And that 110/150 MPH figure is frankly an ideal and rarely in my experience a reality. They certainly don’t run that fast from start to finish, only on select stretches that allow for it when under ideal circumstances, which is by no means the norm. In summer, it’s not unusual to have the trains run slower than the ideal because heat affects the metal tracks, while in autumn, there’s a phenomenon referred to as slippery rail, where falling leaves get squashed on the tracks, forcing the trains to go slower to compensate. In winter, anyplace that gets snow or ice can adversely affect train speeds, too.
European railways use water jet trains to blast leaves from the tracks and put treatments on tracks.
In terms of snow, there are snow plough trains and gritting, just as there are in relation to roads.
In terms of Acela it's being upgraded and hopefully will now be faster.
Trains in most European countries do go faster than road vehicles and stations tend to be in city centres, meanng city centre to city centre travel.
Buses/Coaches often have to wait in city traffic jams to get in to cities, this further slows down journey times.
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Originally Posted by bachslunch
—Regardless, given the fact that most Amtrak routes share track with freight lines (which get running priority), it’s not unusual to have an Amtrak run delayed and sometimes significantly. Problem is, you never know for sure what may happen. I’ve ridden on two Amtrak routes that are supposed to be among the most reliable, Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington DC) and Missouri River Runner (Kansas City to St. Louis) and encountered the extremes from smooth on time running to horrific delays, and that includes Acelas on the former. I’ve ridden the City of New Orleans route that runs from Chicago to New Orleans between Memphis and Jackson round trip with no issues. I’ve ridden the Illinois Service route between Chicago and St. Louis as far as Springfield round trip, with one way running fine and the other having a two hour plus delay while sitting waiting for a freight train to enter a yard. I’ve ridden the Silver Service Palmetto route between Savannah and Charleston that was well over an hour late arriving. I’ve ridden the Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and Los Angeles with no issues. I’ve ridden the Cardinal on parts between Chicago, Cincinnati, and Charleston WV and encountered terrible multi-hour delays every time. I’ve ridden the Pennsylvanian between Philadelphia and Lancaster and Harrisburg in round trips with results ranging from on time to better than an hour late. I’ve ridden the Downeaster several times, with results ranging from on time to several hours late.
There are some great train jorneys in the US and you have travelled on quite a few of them, however the problems with US Train travel are largely down to underfunding and a lack of investment rather than due to buses being a better mode of transport.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bachslunch
—Train travel in the US is often expensive, sometimes costing barely less than flying. Bus travel is usually a lot cheaper than either.
—Of the three modes of travel, my experience has been that buses are most often on time. Air travel reliability in the US is generally good but not always as consistent. Trains have been far and away the least reliable for on time running.
For sure, Amtrak train travel is ordinarily more pleasant that bus travel, but the reliability factor frequently negates that for me. Unless the bus doesn’t go there and the train does (and I don’t want to fly) or I don’t care if there’s a big delay or not, Amtrak is not what I normally choose. Wish it were otherwise.
Train transport can be expensive in other countries, although if you book in advance it is usually far cheaper.
Again train reliability is down to the system being neglected in the US in favour of the air travel and the roads, and this is also down to geography and demographics.
Train travel is much more reliable in Europe and parts of Asia, and the experience of enjoying a nice meal, a glass of wine or a beer on a train is far superior to a bus.
Furthermore most buses are fairly eager to cram passengers in, in order to generate as much profit as possible, so luxury buses with larger seats and other facilities are going to be more expensive, just as the Megabus Gold Service was in the UK.
Personally I have always found the train to be a much more pleasurable travelling experience than the bus, and even the overnight ferry which isn't face has far superior facilities than most forms of transport including a nice cabin with tv and shower. Sleeper trains although not as fast as high speed trains also provide a much better standard of travel and in many countries there are some reasonable prices for the sleeper or couchette. The Japanese sleeper train video I posted earlier in the thread is really interesting in this respect.
Airlines were great in their heyday but they have lost a lot of their glamour and have become subject to ever greater security and unpleasant incidents of over booking or air rage.
This is my personal opinion but I think it's shared by people in Europe and parts of Asia, and the bus is generally seen as foir those who can't afford the train. It also should be noted that young people can apply for a 16-25 rail card, this allows reduced travel with a 1/3rd off all rail fares the UK and discounted fares across Europe Europe. There is a similar 1/3rd concessions for the elderly and disabled.
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