Will travel and tourism by rail have a future?Can rail compete with low-cost airlines?

Question

I need to know if people are still interested in travelling by rail. Is the whole industry going to grow or fall?

Answer 1

Yeah, cos you cant get many flights from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh. The route i take in the mornings

Answer 2

Not in the United States, people are in too big of a hurry.  I think if they can't fly they would next consider driving way before they would consider a train or bus, it just doesn't have the appeal.  Personally I think trains are great but I don't think they'll have a big comeback anytime soon.

A side note, have you read Stephen Ambrose's book "Nothing Like It In the World"  really makes you marvel about the building of the railroad and what it meant to this country.

Answer 3

Travel and tourism are two different things.

Travel by rail is for those who have the luxury of time at their disposal.  If a person who lives in California wants to travel to Florida during two weeks vacation from work, it is unlikely they would want to chew of a week of that time for round trip transit by rail, when it can be covered in 16 hours by air, including time in terminals.

If one wants to see the countryside from less than 36,000 feet, however, then rail travel is more appealing.

As far as tourism is concerned there is a viable market that is not usually tapped into by AMTRAK.  As an example, private parties chartered trains dubbed "Gamblers Specials" for travel between Oakland, California, and Reno, Nevada.  The train would depart Oakland on a Friday to Reno and return on Sunday.  They were always packed and were very pricey.  If the ATK folks had their head cut in, this would be a regular train, as well as a profitable one.  The scenery over the Sierras is breath taking.

I have no doubt that there are other such opportunities that are being overlooked through short-sighted ATK management, but as for "general" tourism there is again a short fall in available programs geared for the tourist.

If ATK maintains the status quo then the days of travel and tourism by rail are numbered.

Answer 4

It's not only low-cost airlines that are competitors, but coach bus tours (especially through Europe) that are very popular with the older crowd, and now there are even companies aimed for the youth market that would usually backpack.

I think if rail has lasted this long, it will continue to do so. But cheap flights are very tempting!

Answer 5

Rail can compete on the short journeys, for example for London to Paris the train takes 2hrs 30 mins - The plane takes about 45 mins - but with check in and getting to and from the airport from the centre it works out faster by train

Answer 6

Travel and tourism by rail are two different things.

Yes, tourism by rail has a future, if it's properly managed in the right markets.  A suburban commuter train in a large city is hardly appealing to the tourism market.  Yet, tourist trains in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, and rural towns across the continent are able to make a go of it.

Travel by rail can succeed, given the proper tools.  Contrary to what anyone out there says, passenger rail cannot turn a profit.  Capital costs are too high, and would eat up any operating surplus.  Like any mode of transportation (air, road, rail, marine), government subsidies and public support are always needed for rail travel.

It's tough for rail to compete in North America with air travel over long distances.  But in trips 500 miles or less, rail has a fighting chance.  If governments across all levels (federal, provincial/state, municipal) rose to the task by putting rail travel funding on par with other modes, or at least sunk the other modes to the level of support rail gets, you'd find rail would be a very attractive option for travel.

The bottom line is that rail travel can succeed on this continent, but underfunded as it is these days, it will likely wallow in the status quo until someone does something, for good or bad.

Answer 7

If they find a niche, they can make it work. No way, imo, can they compete head to head.

Example: A friend and I travelled about nine hours away a few years ago. He took the train for the overnight trip. I arrived in about 50 minutes. He saved eight dollars.