Discussion
homeonthemtn: Whoa, forget the train, folks check out this website. This is active??
noer: My first reaction when I saw the domain
shagie: The regular site (rather than aggregator): https://apnews.com/article/airports-shutdown-long-lines-trai...This also includes some images that aren't part of the netscape.com version... which is probably part of the point of it: "A view of America from the tracks" has some pictures of Amtrak stations and Virginia countryside.(and for some nostalgia- City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie https://youtu.be/bD_1HMXG6KM )
QuantumNomad_: See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47565264
superultra: I’ve taken this line - as many have and do all the time. Ride it once and you’ll realize why it’s the better way to travel in every way but cost and time - and both of those are a result of the United State unwillingness to fully fund something like Amtrak.As the author states traveling by train just a more pleasant experience.I should note that even though there is technically wifi on every Amtrak train, it’s cellular based. You’ll find that at least from atlanta to NY, the train somehow threads the needle between cellular ranges. Both your phone and of course the train will often be either out of range of fast cellular service or out of range altogether. Supposedly Amtrak is getting starlink but we’ll see. So, don’t expect to be getting on any video calls.
dylan604: Delta has round trip flights from ATL->WAS for ~$800TFA train round trip shows $306 without a private cabin.TFA already mentioned the time differences.The googs says it's 638miles doable in 9.5hours. Say an average of 20mpg at $4/gal (I have no idea what current rates are in that part of the country) needs 32gals for $128 one way or $256 to come back. Of course someone needs to drive it.The train definitely looks like a decent deal for this route. I've priced train rides from my town, and prices look like plane routes but in days instead of hours. The train doesn't make sense all of the time, but I'm holding out hope I'll find a trip where it will make sense.
adjejmxbdjdn: > The train is still longer, and time is money, we are taught. But certainty has value, too, even if it means at 11:29 p.m. departure.Unfortunately this is misleading. Outside of the Northeast Acela corridor, there is no certainty in train travel in the U.S..Although legally passenger trains are now supposed to have right of way over freight trains, in practice that’s just not the case. So a 14.5 hr train journey can easily be delayed by several hours.
hdgvhicv: Based on the last long trip I did in the U.K. where I averaged 43 miles per US gallon (52mpg) I’m shocked how terrible efficiency is in the US. That’s real world highway driving in a 4 year old petrol car.
dylan604: I deliberately chose a low mpg value. Most people are driving SUVs what I assumed 20mpg would be safe. My car averages about 26mpg. I have no insight into how many kilometers per liter UK cars get, but the translated £/litre to $/gallon has always shocked me at the price paid on that side of the pond. If Americans had to to pay the same rate, we'd have better mpg ratings as well.
hdgvhicv: I paid £1.45 a litre on Friday my average, which I tend to treat as about 14p a mile or 18c a mile.I’m not sure why I’d deliberately burn more fuel regardless of the price. Literally setting fire to cash for nothing.That would be $120 for your trip to Georgia, about the same price as in the US despite fuel being $7.30 a gallon equivalent in the uk.
ChrisArchitect: If you were trying to highlight the Netscape ISP site OP, thread here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47565264
GenerWork: I believe Brightline in Florida has ownership of its tracks from Cocoa to Orlando.
uyzstvqs: What? I can book ATL <-> WAS round trip for $74 with Frontier, $184 with Delta. With a checked bag $168-254.
tzs: That's way too pessimistic.Among SUV drivers in the US the biggest segment is compact SUVs (think Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V). Then midsize (like Toyota Highlander or Hyundai Palisade), subcompact (Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona), then full sized (Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition).RAV4 non-hybrid is around 35 mpg highway. CR-V 34 mpg highway.In midsize, Highlander is 29 mpg highway, and Palisade is 25 mpg highway.In subcompact CX-30 is 30-33 mpg highway depending on options. Kona is 29-34 mpg highway depending on options.The full size category, which does get down to around 20 mpg, is only around 3-4% of SUVs in the US. Tahoe is 20 mpg highway. Expedition gets 23 mpg highway.
axpy906: “ That is what drew Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman for one of the Civil War’s seminal campaigns that helped defeat the Confederacy.”To be clear Sherman burned it to the ground which is why it got renamed Atlanta.
aziaziazi: I’m curious if a classic starlings antenna works at 100-300 km/h with occasional rotation, or will it need to be mounted on a targeting motor on top of the train?
standardUser: Years ago I tried to book a train from San Francisco to Chicago as part of a trip I had planned but found it to be more expensive and, more significantly, a multi-day journey instead of a few hours. If you happen to be an American living near one of the useful passenger rail lines, and desire to go to one of the few destinations it can take you to quickly and affordably, more power to you. But most Americans live nowhere near a useful rail system.
dylan604: Great, but it's still 9.5 hours of time on the wheel. Train/plane eliminates that. So even if it is 1/3 cheaper in fuel, it's something that needs to be considered.
xvedejas: A couple of the lines I ride in California have decent on-time rates (mostly I ride the line formerly known as the San Joaquins)
walterbell: Story discovered via usability of that site. Will use it more.
booked the train overnight and into game day across a 650-mile route
Reason077: > ”… booked the train overnight and into game day across a 650-mile route … A 14½-hour weekend train ride”Just by way of comparison, in China the 819-mile train route between Beijing and Shanghai takes 4.5 hours.
