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Since Covid-19 started, I have stopped flying and instead I’ve started taking trains, in sleeping cars.
You have a private room with walls, a door and a bed.
You leave late in the day and arrive in the morning.
You can work on the train and make phone calls.
You can take a shower on the train.
You don’t have to spend the day traveling; instead, you spend the day at home or at your destination.
Question: why aren’t there more overnight trains? They are a lot more efficient than flying or driving. The few overnight trains that Amtrak has are usually sold out in advance, so the ones we have do well. But why isn’t there a significant shift towards the concept of overnight trains?
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Not a popular thing in USA, like it is elsewhere (traveling through the night)
Lots of people cannot sleep while in motion.
Others want to see the view. (daylight)
Freight shares the same tracks and runs at night. (Would be disruptive to Amtrak schedule, as they are 2nd priority (actually 3rd) to freight.
Sadly long distance passenger train service has fallen by the wayside over the years. If the USA were to develop a national high speed rail system, I assume more people would travel by train long distance.
Question: why aren’t there more overnight trains? They are a lot more efficient than flying or driving.
You make a lot of great points about the benefits but saying they are a lot more efficient than flying you went off the rails.
I can fly from any point in USA lower 48 to any other point in six hours or less direct. Even indirect it just becomes a really long day. If you measure efficiency in time spent getting from point A to point B trains just can't touch that, not even close. There are high speed routes in Europe and Asia where trains can match efficiency of airlines up to a certain distance, but eventually given far enough the extra time involved in logistics of the flight are overwhelmed by the speed of arrival.
You make a lot of great points about the benefits but saying they are a lot more efficient than flying you went off the rails.
I can fly from any point in USA lower 48 to any other point in six hours or less direct. Even indirect it just becomes a really long day. If you measure efficiency in time spent getting from point A to point B trains just can't touch that, not even close. There are high speed routes in Europe and Asia where trains can match efficiency of airlines up to a certain distance, but eventually given far enough the extra time involved in logistics of the flight are overwhelmed by the speed of arrival.
Good points but it kind of depends on the distance.
In my case, my trips are 600-700 miles. I have to take 2 flights, with a connection. The total time, door to door, is about 5 to 6 hours. Very little of that time is productive time, even if I spend time in the airport lounge's work center and am flying first class. I can get at most about 2 hours of work done during that. So flying takes 6 hours out of my day and 4 of those hours are not productive.
On the train, I am fully productive. Maybe half an hour of the trip time is not productive. But on an overnight train, the total number of daytime hours used can be less than flying anyway. So less of my day is spent traveling and even less of the day is not productive, by taking the train.
If I were doing NY to California, sure, trains just can't compete on that. But, say, Washington to Atlanta, leaving at 6:30pm and arriving at 8ish am? Trains certainly can.
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A revival of sleeper services as well as new routes has been evident in Europe in recent times, due to factors such as enviromental concerns as well as better conecvtivity. Whilst new environmentally LNG powered ferries may also see a similar ferry revival.
Good points but it kind of depends on the distance.
In my case, my trips are 600-700 miles. I have to take 2 flights, with a connection. The total time, door to door, is about 5 to 6 hours. Very little of that time is productive time, even if I spend time in the airport lounge's work center and am flying first class. I can get at most about 2 hours of work done during that. So flying takes 6 hours out of my day and 4 of those hours are not productive.
On the train, I am fully productive. Maybe half an hour of the trip time is not productive. But on an overnight train, the total number of daytime hours used can be less than flying anyway. So less of my day is spent traveling and even less of the day is not productive, by taking the train.
If I were doing NY to California, sure, trains just can't compete on that. But, say, Washington to Atlanta, leaving at 6:30pm and arriving at 8ish am? Trains certainly can.
Does one HAVE to be "productive" 100% of the time? Relax a little maybe.
Good points but it kind of depends on the distance.
In my case, my trips are 600-700 miles. I have to take 2 flights, with a connection. The total time, door to door, is about 5 to 6 hours. Very little of that time is productive time, even if I spend time in the airport lounge's work center and am flying first class. I can get at most about 2 hours of work done during that. So flying takes 6 hours out of my day and 4 of those hours are not productive.
On the train, I am fully productive. Maybe half an hour of the trip time is not productive. But on an overnight train, the total number of daytime hours used can be less than flying anyway. So less of my day is spent traveling and even less of the day is not productive, by taking the train.
If I were doing NY to California, sure, trains just can't compete on that. But, say, Washington to Atlanta, leaving at 6:30pm and arriving at 8ish am? Trains certainly can.
Does one HAVE to be "productive" 100% of the time? Relax a little maybe.
And on an overnight train, one sleeps, right?
I've done overnight trains. In the US in coach, Philly to SC. A truly miserable experience that saved me some money.
In Russia and the UK in dormitory sleeper cots, it was kinda fun - reminiscent of that scene in "Some Like it Hot." Those trips also gave me more precious daylight hours for touring. It was well worth it, but I was MUCH younger.
They can also be expensive, anytime I have priced train to plane, the plane is cheaper. Of course this was a while back, so things may have changed. Much will depend on locations.
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Relax a little maybe.
