Re: 7th July! 7th July!
Posted by:
Magda (---.med.umich.edu)
Date: May 09, 2003 07:13PM
Americans don't take trains, as a general rule, they drive. In part, because the passenger trains don't go to most places, and once you get off a train most places don't have public transit either, except for very large cities.
If I wanted to go to Detroit (43 miles away) by train, it only runs 3 times a day (departs here at 12pm, 8pm and 11pm, leaves Detroit at 8am, 11am and 5pm), takes about an hour each way (if it's on schedule) plus the half hour it takes me to drive from home to the nearest (only) train station in the city (or the hour and a half it takes by bus), and whatever time I spend waiting for the train, and it costs $17 if you book in advance.
If I drive, it takes me 50 minutes to get to Detroit (from home), costs about $8 worth of gas (petrol), and I can go whenever I want, and go straight to my destination.
Trains in America are generally only really useful if you want to travel a very long distance, and aren't in a hurry.