Record numbers of travelers are choosing Amtrak, Greyhound, Megabus and BoltBus for convenience and cost savings.
With few exceptions, air travel in the United States is becoming more unpleasant. If necessity is the mother of invention, it can also be the mother of reinvention. Older forms of transportation are slowly, quietly ramping up their services to become economical alternatives to flying.
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If you’re planning a journey of 400 miles or less, it might be time to go back to the future and consider the train or bus.
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Let’s start with America’s train system, Amtrak. In many ways, the U.S. train system remains a national embarrassment — chronic delays, infrequent service and reduced numbers of destinations have meant that in many parts of the country, taking the train isn’t the best option if you’re tied to a schedule.
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Amtrak’s dismal on-time rates are not entirely its own fault, though. With the exception of the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak doesn’t own the tracks it rides on. They’re owned by commuter railroads and freight lines such as Union Pacific and BNSF. When a 100-car freight train approaches, Amtrak’s passenger trains are often forced to pull aside and wait.
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Even with those problems, the train is suddenly becoming a more appealing option. In fiscal year 2008 (October 2007-September 2008), Amtrak served 28.7 million passengers, which represented six straight years of record ridership and a systemwide increase of 11 percent from the previous year. And over Thanksgiving week of 2009, Amtrak set a weekly record with nearly 700,000 passengers.
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Why has there been such a resurgence of rail travel? First, there’s the convenience factor. Since train stations are often within the city center, getting to and from the station is usually far easier (and cheaper) than schlepping to and from the airport.
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Why has there been such a resurgence of rail travel? First, there’s the convenience factor. Since train stations are often within the city center, getting to and from the station is usually far easier (and cheaper) than schlepping to and from the airport.
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Next, there’s the cost. While the price of a train ticket is often comparable to a base plane fare, Amtrak is upfront about its fees. Amtrak passengers can carry on three pieces of luggage for free. Beverages are allowed onboard (with no Transportation Security Administration agents confiscating nefarious water bottles). There is no booking fee to purchase tickets, and no fee to change your ticket.
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Other perks include power ports on many trains, additional legroom (even in coach), and no need to arrive two hours early to clear security — 15 minutes is plenty of time.
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When it comes to alternative transportation, the Northeast Corridor is a no-brainer. If you’re in a hurry, the high-speed Acela Express linking Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., has been on time more than 87 percent of the time over the past year.
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The Acela, however, can be expensive, so a smarter option would be the Northeast Regional, which travels between Boston and Virginia Beach, Va., with stops in New York and Washington, D.C. It’s a lot cheaper and has a comparable 81 percent on-time rate.
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Still not convinced? At press time, traveling round-trip on the Northeast Region train between New York and Washington, D.C., on peak travel days, costs $144. Total travel time each way? Three and a half hours.
On the other hand, flying between those two cities (from JFK to DCA) costs at least $190. The flight is less than an hour, but factor in the cost and time of traveling to and from the airport and going through security, and you’re looking at a comparable door-to-door travel time.
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The bus makes a comeback
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Then there’s the other transportation method that many people don’t talk about, but one that budget travelers have relied on for years: the bus.
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Why don’t people take the bus? Perhaps it’s the stereotype of a dirty, smoke-filled vehicle providing transportation to the occasional homeless drifter.
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Throw that image away. New fleets of buses offer leather seats and free Wi-Fi. The fares are extremely attractive, too.
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In the busy Northeast corridor, interstate bus companies have locked in solid followings. Since launching in April 2006, the ultrabudget Megabus has served 4.3 million customers and has seen 50 percent growth since December 2008. Its competitor, BoltBus, a subsidiary of Greyhound, has seen a steady increase in passengers each month, carrying its millionth customer just over a year after its launch in March 2008.
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On Megabus.com, that trip between Washington, D.C., and New York costs a whopping $42.50 round-trip. On Boltbus, it’s about $39.50.
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The drawbacks of bus travel, of course, are that you’re at the mercy of traffic and that a bus is not nearly as spacious or comfortable as a train car.
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In the Midwest, bus travel may even trump train travel, however. For example, if you’re traveling between Indianapolis and Chicago, a 2.25-hour Megabus ride costs about $58.50. The Cardinal/Hoosier State train line offers a comparable price, but takes twice as long — about 5.5 hours. Furthermore, this train has a pathetic on-time performance of 59.4 percent.
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Unfortunately, the budget bus phenomenon hasn’t been a total success. On the West Coast, poor passenger response forced Megabus to shut down operations in that region last year. But in that particular case, Amtrak still has its Pacific Surfliner.
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The train moves between Paso Robles, Calif., and San Diego, with stops in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. This is a scenic journey with an 83 percent on-time rate. When you factor in Southern California’s infamous road traffic, even a delayed train is more dependable than driving or taking the bus.
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As for flying this route? It’s just not worth it. A flight between Santa Barbara and San Diego at peak times is at least $300 and includes a stop in Los Angeles. The train costs about $94 round-trip.
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Another notable train experience this winter is the Amtrak Cascades, which runs between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Why? It’s a great way to get to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Travelers who can’t handle the prices or crowds of the host city are opting to stay in Seattle or Bellingham, Wash., and take a two- to three-hour train ride into Vancouver. Amtrak recently increased its service from Seattle to twice daily in time for the games.
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Now, let’s examine the often-overlooked and underserved Southern routes. The availability of air service figures into the equation.
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A straightforward train ride from Jacksonville, Fla., to Orlando is another no-brainer. It’s about $62 round-trip for three hours on the Silver Meteor. By air? Just try finding a nonstop flight. Again, the train wins.
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A longer train journey, say from Charleston, S.C., to Orlando, costs about $200 round-trip. It’s about eight hours each way on the Silver Meteor; no nonstop flights are available, and even flights with stops cost more than $400. So in my opinion, the train wins.
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Trains can definitely save you money, but at some point, they’ll eat up too much of your time. While you’ll pay only $146 round-trip to take the train from Atlanta to New Orleans, the 470-mile trip requires a 12-hour journey each way. You’d pay only $164 for the same trip on Greyhound, but that, too, requires 12 hours each way. After the 400-mile mark, whether to take the train or bus becomes a question of what you’re willing to spend and how fast you want to get to your destination.
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