(no subject)

[lollardfish]

Although I had my doubts, it turns out that on the train you CAN get up and walk around.

And they have big seats.

And food at a reasonable price (compared to airlines).

AND POWER OUTLETS!

And it costs $43 round trip from Chicago to Kalamazoo, which is approximately $300 less than flying, and about 40$ less than driving.

Comments

[alisgray.livejournal.com]

man, all the kool kids are going to k'zoo. pout.

[neogrammarian.livejournal.com]

Next year, man, I'm telling you. I'll fly into ORD, and we'll train over together. What a blast!

(Wish there was some way for you to bug a colleague about a cosponsored-session request I sent him 2 weeks ago and heard nothing about. Their business meeting is in bufu, though, so there's no way it would be convenient for you to run by early).

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I took ViaRail last year from Toronto to Montreal and was dumbfounded by how much I'd taken for granted that travel had to be tedious and uncomfortable, until it wasn't.

[rvrjoe775.livejournal.com]

The power of living in Chicago...

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

If only more trains went more places...

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

The real question is how it compares going to Mpls.:)

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Of course, you have passenger train service available, which many people don't. Oh, and don't even think about trying to go to Canada that way. We looked into it as a possibility for Conadian (the idea was to drive to Chicago, hook up with Kathy and some other folks, and take the train from there), and discovered that the only way to get from Chicago to Winnipeg was to go thru Toronto!

Nonetheless, the rising cost of fuel is going to make a serious dent in my previous main reason for not liking trains -- that they cost as much as plane fare, but you don't get there any faster than driving. This is changing, as your figures illustrate.

[jadiana.livejournal.com]

Wow. Maybe I'll check into prices again. The last time I wanted to take a train to anywhere significant, it was more than 4 times the cost of a plane ticket. Seriously. $250 to fly, $1080 to take the train.

[le-trombone.livejournal.com]

But of course! I'm surprised that you're surprised!

(I've been using the train between Chicago and Dearborn or Birmingham MI for over fifteen years now. The only risks really are delays due to freight trains, which can be a real pain. On the other hand, the tracks have gradually gotten better, so when there are no freight train delays, the trip can go really smoothly).

Also a feature: no airport hassles.