Flying vs. Train When Traveling Less Than 400 Miles

[Anonymous]

ramrod

When I lived in DC, I often traveled to New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn) By automobile it took about six hours due to congestion. The shuttle from National to LaGuardia took one hour before 9/11 and TSA but getting to and from the airports took two hours, at least that was what you had to plan. Amtrak took just under four hurs. More than once I took part in a "race", one by air one by train.no one won more than half the time. Since TSA entered the picture by air, and ground congestion has gotten worse at both airports and Amtrack has speede up, there's no contest. The proof of the pudding is that the number of people taking the Shuttle is down and the number of people taking the train is up. Distance from NYP to WAS is 225 miles.

Downtown Washington, D.C. to Manhattan, at least for most points, is quicker by train, especially the Acela, than by air.  But what is the better option for someone going to Westchester County or Long Island?

Amtrak touts the fact that it carries more passengers between NYC and Washington than commercial air. But what percentage of the total travel market, i.e. train, air, bus, and motor vehicle, does it have?  

According to the NY Times, "BoltBus and MegaBus, two downtown, curbside services in the Northeast, have increased ridership since they began operating in 2008. The buses generally make the New York-to-Washington run in four and a half hours and offer free Wi-Fi. Tickets range from $1 to $40, far less than Amtrak or the airlines.

I have taken the BoltBus from Baltimore to NYC.  It is not the same as riding the Acela, but it sure is easier on the pocketbook.  The ride was comfortable and on-time.

Research suggests that they are eating into Amtrak’s market share. According to a study by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University, 34 percent of bus riders said they would have taken Amtrak if not for the bus."

My guess is that the majority of people travelling between NYC and Washington, as well as the intermediate locations, opt for their personal vehicle.  

[DSchmitt]

blue streak 1

IMO the auto was able to displace the RRs because many persons could go faster by auto than RR. ?

For trips under about 500 miles, the automobile was and is often faster because the trip is door to door (origin to destination) not station to station. In many cases station to station is faster only works if the origin and destination of the trip are very close to the stations. This applies to air travel too. People in rural and in most suburban areas will continue to find the auto faster, and more convenient, and often less expensive. If two or more people are traveling together the cost to drive is may be less than the cost of train fares. Also if one need to take things with them the auto may be the better choice. Of course the availability of reasonable cost parking at each end of the trip is also a factor to be considered. No mode of transportation is better than the other in all circumstances. Even Acela in the NE corridor is not always faster. In a thread on this forum some years ago a poster told a funny story of dropping a friend off at a train station, then, for the heck of it, driving to the friends destination, arriving in time to pick him up.

[Norm48327]

You guy should consider getting a pilot's license and buying a small plane. I regularly fly with a friend, and in 3 1/2 hours can fly from the Detroit area to Richmond, VA; no TSA hassles and don't have to be at the airport hours ahead of flight time.

[schlimm]

Norm48327

You guy should consider getting a pilot's license and buying a small plane. I regularly fly with a friend, and in 3 1/2 hours can fly from the Detroit area to Richmond, VA; no TSA hassles and don't have to be at the airport hours ahead of flight time.

Nice, but pretty expensive, isn't it?

[Phoebe Vet]

Instrument rated commercial pilot in airplane and helicopter.  All I need is the aircraft.

[dakotafred]

Phoebe Vet

Instrument rated commercial pilot in airplane and helicopter.  All I need is the aircraft.

 

And heaven help us when one of these cowboys in the sky loses it and crashes into one of our houses (again). The air will become more interesting yet with the addition of drones. The end of drones, I think, will be the first collision with a commercial jetliner. Before that, good ol' boys will have a lot of fun shooting at moving targets instead of road signs.

[dakotafred]

Norm48327

You guy should consider getting a pilot's license and buying a small plane. I regularly fly with a friend, and in 3 1/2 hours can fly from the Detroit area to Richmond, VA; no TSA hassles and don't have to be at the airport hours ahead of flight time.

 

That's a good solution for most of us. Thanks for the tip.

[Norm48327]

dakotafred

Phoebe Vet

Instrument rated commercial pilot in airplane and helicopter.  All I need is the aircraft.

 

And heaven help us when one of these cowboys in the sky loses it and crashes into one of our houses (again). The air will become more interesting yet with the addition of drones. The end of them, I think, will be the first collision with a commercial jetliner. Before that, good ol' boys will have a lot of fun shooting at moving targets instead of road signs.

At the risk of getting off topic, the media's "If it bleeds, it leads" philosophy makes general aviation seem much worse than it truly is. They pick on aircraft incidents purely for shock value.

[MP173]

I made several trips the past year from NW Indiana to Oklahoma City, flying 2x and driving 4 times.  The mileage was 830 miles and quite frankly the car trip was just fine.  You gotta figure a full day of travel either way.  Car gives me flexibility to stop and see customers on the way and the unreliability of air service this winter was the deciding factor.

Ed

[Firelock76]

A bit off-topic, but Oltmannd mentioned traffic problems on I-95 on a trip from Philly to Atlanta.  I'm assuming he had most of his troubles in the Northern Virginia area.  There's road construction going on there and will be for the forseeable future so I-95 from Quantico north to Alexandria is a mess, both ways.

So if you're heading south this is what I'd do.  Take I-95 south to Route 896 in Delaware which will lead you to Route 301 south.Typically 301's traffic is pretty light except for some traffic light slowdowns in Bowie and Upper Marlboro MD which can be annoying but are tolerable.  The only toll you'll pay southbound is on the Potomac River bridge which is $6.00.  Continue south on 301 then get on Route 207 in the Bowling Green area.  This will take you straight to I-95 at Ruther Glen. 

This route takes you completely away from Baltimore and Washington traffic and you also avoid that construction area I mentioned.  From Ruther Glen south there's usually no serious problems.  Heading north just reverse what I said.

Assuming things were perfect on I-95 the 301 route would usually add only a half-hour to a northbound  or southbound trip.  The trouble is, things ain't perfect on I-95 anymore.  So I avoid 95 totally now, in Northern Virginia anyway.

Lady Firestorm and I just did this last week heading to a wedding in Collegeville PA, so it works.

[dubch87]

I have a pretty good example. My wife is from northeast of Philadelphia (Bucks County), which is a little less than 450 miles from where we live in Raleigh. We use air, car, and rail to get there.

Car: Oh, I-95, I hate you. Stop for gas and food in Virginia and a second stop for the restroom (I have to go more than she does, or she's a good liar). At least 7.5-8 hours at 65-75 mph with stops and likely traffic congestion. Add $40 if you get caught by a Maryland work zone speed camera.

Pros: Origin to destination, no baggage restrictions, cheapest
Cons: I-95, fatigue, traffic, tolls, I-95

Air: US Airways offers direct flights from RDU to PHL that take around 1.5 hour. We're about ten minutes from the airport, and we're usually through security in 20 minutes tops, but still get there about 1.5 hour early. She/we then take SEPTA from PHL to Bucks County, which is around 1 hr 20 min. Sometimes we'll miss the train by a few minutes and have to wait half an hour at the airport, and have to transfer downtown if it's an afternoon train. The SEPTA station is about ten minutes from her parents' house, and they pick us up. Altogether, 4.5-5 hours.

Pros: Fastest
Cons: Most Expensive, subject to delays

Rail: We're around 15 minutes from either Cary or Raleigh stations with daylight service from both the Carolinian and Silver Star. With the northern segment of the former SAL line abandoned, Amtrak follows the NCRR southeast from Raleigh to Selma before turning northeast on the CSX A line, adding a lot of mileage and time. The trip is scheduled at 9 hours and 15 minutes. The in-laws are closer to Trenton than Philadelphia, so they cross the river and pick us up there for an additional 20 minutes of trip time. We have experienced delays before, but have made up time north and southbound and arrived within 30 minutes of schedule.

Pros: Stretch, look out the window
Cons: Longest trip, almost as expensive as air, subject to delays

When we pick each method of transportation:

Car: Both of us traveling during non-holiday times and not on the weekend.
Air: When wife travels alone or tickets are cheap enough.
Rail: Both of us are visiting around holidays when the highways and airports are overcrowded.

If/when the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor is completed and the SAL (S) Line is restored, rail travel time will be comparable or faster than car.

[Anonymous]

dubch87

I have a pretty good example. My wife is from northeast of Philadelphia (Bucks County), which is a little less than 450 miles from where we live in Raleigh. We use air, car, and rail to get there.

Car: Oh, I-95, I hate you. Stop for gas and food in Virginia and a second stop for the restroom (I have to go more than she does, or she's a good liar). At least 7.5-8 hours at 65-75 mph with stops and likely traffic congestion. Add $40 if you get caught by a Maryland work zone speed camera.

Pros: Origin to destination, no baggage restrictions, cheapest
Cons: I-95, fatigue, traffic, tolls, I-95

Air: US Airways offers direct flights from RDU to PHL that take around 1.5 hour. We're about ten minutes from the airport, and we're usually through security in 20 minutes tops, but still get there about 1.5 hour early. She/we then take SEPTA from PHL to Bucks County, which is around 1 hr 20 min. Sometimes we'll miss the train by a few minutes and have to wait half an hour at the airport, and have to transfer downtown if it's an afternoon train. The SEPTA station is about ten minutes from her parents' house, and they pick us up. Altogether, 4.5-5 hours.

Pros: Fastest
Cons: Most Expensive, subject to delays

Rail: We're around 15 minutes from either Cary or Raleigh stations with daylight service from both the Carolinian and Silver Star. With the northern segment of the former SAL line abandoned, Amtrak follows the NCRR southeast from Raleigh to Selma before turning northeast on the CSX A line, adding a lot of mileage and time. The trip is scheduled at 9 hours and 15 minutes. The in-laws are closer to Trenton than Philadelphia, so they cross the river and pick us up there for an additional 20 minutes of trip time. We have experienced delays before, but have made up time north and southbound and arrived within 30 minutes of schedule.

Pros: Stretch, look out the window
Cons: Longest trip, almost as expensive as air, subject to delays

When we pick each method of transportation:

Car: Both of us traveling during non-holiday times and not on the weekend.
Air: When wife travels alone or tickets are cheap enough.
Rail: Both of us are visiting around holidays when the highways and airports are overcrowded.

If/when the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor is completed and the SAL (S) Line is restored, rail travel time will be comparable or faster than car.

This is an excellent analysis of the options available to you and your partner. The best options depend on a variety of circumstances, i.e. location, number of  people traveling, distance, physical and mental health, temperament, transport at destination, etc.  One thing seems clear.  One size does not fit all.