Public services need to be publicly owned.

Politicians are corrupt, but business people are corruption embodied.

As an American living in Germany ❤️ DB

I know it used to be better, and compared to neighboring nations its bad, but I've never had access to a better transit system.

Plus I do feel like DB is not given enough credit for its volume of trains. No other country in Europe is running so many trains so frequently. You have several hourly train routes that would be a bus ride every 3 hours in other European nations

the workers may care, the people who decide about the infrastructure however dont.

I know a few people working there. Biggest train nerds I've ever met.

Had a similar comment in mind. The cost for a coach seat on a train to the nearest destination city that there's actually a route to costs about 3x as much as a round trip flight (budget airline) and takes over 24 hours. I would prefer rail were it practical, but it's not.

No secret that our rail systems suck though. I have taken trains in Europe and Japan, and those experiences were great!

I'm not disagreeing with you but I think we all need to start including airport hassle time into our statements of flight times. In my limited experience train stations involve less of that bullshit, although obviously you can only go when the train is ready, as opposed to starting your car and hitting the highway. Neither Logan (Boston) nor LaGuardia (New York) is swift or easy, especially if you have any baggage, and there is also the travel time to actually get into the city, which can easily add another hour in traffic. Train stations tend to be in the heart of downtown.

(Tbf, I in Los Angeles live much closer to LAX than to Union Station so ymmv)

flight time is actually closer to 80-90 minutes between the two cities. plus taxi time of 10-20+ minutes at each end.. plus dealing with getting to and from the airport, maybe parking, and random tsa shenanigans inside.

compare that to the actual 3.5 hour acela route that starts at ~ $74, that directly connects midtown manhattan to south station or back bay.

This happens in Europe too.

A few years back I had to go to my company's northernmost office. It took about 20 hours of travel, 19 hours of which was on trains, and I didn't even reach my destination. The train couldn't get far enough because of the snow, and was replaced with a bus. Only I couldn't go on it, and so my company shelled out about another $170 for a taxi from one town to the other.

All in all, trip there and back costed ~$500, not counting the taxi.

Meanwhile, looking now, I could take a flight instead. I'd have to take a train or a bus to the airport, that'll take about two hours of course, but it'll cost me about $30. The flight will take 1½ hours, and will cost $150 including the trip back. So, about $210 for the entire trip.

Same story with trains through Sweden. Takes too long and is somehow more expensive.

Trains had their chance after 9/11 and blew it. If they were as cheap as the airlines it would’ve become the way to travel (especially considering no TSA).

Chinatown bus ftw

It can and often is worse for the environment in the US too. Pretty much anywhere outside the NE corridor.

It really depends on where your starting and ending destinations are. Also, if you book Acela far enough in advance, which you’re assuming for the flight, it’ll usually be cheaper than flying, especially factoring in the cost of getting to the airport.

A reporter tried this back in 2021 and there was only a five minute difference between train and flying. Trains are also less affected by weather.

Every situation is unique, but I’ve found the train to be the better option on several occasions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/timing-myself-taking-the-train-and-flying-between-ny-boston-2021-3

Well it depends on needs too. I tried to explain this before is that if you're 4 hours away in travel for something that could be done in 1 hour worth of travel, something that's as important as your mom dying; Are you gonna take the 4hour train or the 1hour plane?

Sounds like something from the wild West.

Somehow even worse than i remembered!

I was early to the train station with my coworker. We met a lot of people still waiting for the train before ours on the same platform. Suddenly, that other train was dropped from the display and replaced by our train. Seconds later, their train simply rushed through on a different track.

Idk it seems like they could use some training. Things are going off the rails over there.

Anywhere in europe pratically XD

They have a big house and 2 cars, why TF would they care about reliable trains. All the stock they own is in BMW and Mercedes.

Hey, for some of us, knowing exactly what speed to maintain on a congested roadway in order to never touch the brakes and break the "waves" of stop-and-go for everyone behind us is also "having fun". Doubly so when the Karen behind you completely loses their shit and starts raging, even though your driving style is actually helping them out. Let's just hope they're not strapped...

I'd like to hear more about this Japanese rural farm

Or Germany

Where else will I get my free needles?

I have. Bus in Columbus, Ohio. Took my wife (Japanese) to the US to meet the family with a stop in DC to see the Smithsonian first. Her first US train experience was a woman sleeping it off in a puddle of piss right by the doors.