Midwest High Speed Rail Association - The Benefits: Personal Travel Benefits

Comfortable and Convenient

Wider seats, more legroom and the ability to get up and move around are selling points for the train, no matter what the distance. There is no need to stow belongings for take off and landing, and you can recline your seat back, use your tray table, and your electronic devices at any time of the trip. You can read, plug in your laptop, or many other activities for the whole trip. Another benefit is that while cell phones are allowed at all times, most high-speed trains have “quiet cars” that passengers can go to where cell phones and loud conversations are prohibited. Passengers can even spend some of their trip in the quiet cars and some of it in other cars.

Productivity

Since there is so much transition time in air travel, even slightly longer rail trip times yield more productive time. Driving is almost entirely down time. Additionally, methods of increasing productivity while driving, such as cell phones, make driving unsafe. Fast trains allow work to get done if needed for the whole trip. Many trains are equipped with small tables that are natural meeting places, and a few even have conference rooms.

Safety

The safety advantages of rail travel over auto are well documented. Driver fatigue and other factors widen the gap as trip lengths increase, especially if hotel and restaurant breaks are skipped to save expense or time. In comparison to roads, where minimal safety requirements are maintained and enforcement is often lacking, fast trains have state-of-the art safety equipment and technology, and are driven by trained professionals who are regularly required to review tests and checks.

Cost

If gas charges are the only measure, driving is often cheaper. But gas alone does not represent the true cost to the consumer. Even just using the IRS allocation of $.48 per mile makes rail fare attractive in most cases.

Family Friendly

You can take time to interact with your kids, without having to look in a rear view mirror. Additionally, trains give kids room to play (provided they don't disturb other passengers), and you never have to worry about stopping at the next exit to go to the bathroom, boredom, or any other stresses involved in family car travel.

Speed

Today's 220-mph trains beat the plane for trips of 500 miles or more. The 819 mile Beijing to Shanghai trip will be air competitive by 2013.

79 mph trains often save time as well. By continuing to move as travelers eat and sleep, trains gain a travel time advantage over driving as trip length increases.

Trains gain a travel time advantage over planes as the distance from a hub airport increases because railroad stations can be located in more places and closer to population concentrations. Traveling from the airport to downtown can significantly add to travel time. In some cases travelers spend as much time driving to the airport from downtown as they spend on the plane.

A Better Way to the Airport

By connecting communities to major airports, fast trains will allow you to avoid expensive airport parking and limos. And you won't have to impose on your friends and family for a ride through heavy airport traffic.

Location

Unlike airports, railroad stations can be located in population centers and low operating costs make it possible to serve many more places. In many cases, train stations connect other transport options together. Examples of this are at a huge number of major airports, and take the form of train lines as short as automated people movers, to 220 MPH trains with stations within walking distance of the terminals. High-speed trains can even replace regional jets, much like what has happened in France and Germany in many areas; in this way, some high-speed train stations are like “extra airports”; except that they take up much less space and can be placed in a wider variety of places.