Travel

Train travel is energy-efficient, reliable and comfortable but not always fast. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos/Getty Images )

Traveling by train can be a reliable way to reach your destination while enjoying local scenery. Travelers eschewing a strict schedule may choose rail for its comforts and amenities. Eat a meal in the dining car, meet fellow travelers and get a good night's rest in a private sleeping cabin and a shower on an overnight ride. If time is of the essence, traveling by plane or car may be a more appropriate option.

Airline and train travel reliability is competitive. American Bureau of Transportation Statistics data from 2015 and 2015 shows that air carriers arrive on time approximately 79.5 percent of the time, while trains have an overall on-time performance of 79.7 percent. Train departures are delayed less frequently for weather than flights.

Passenger rail is not available in every state or major city. Depending on a route's overall distance, train travel may not be the quickest or most direct way to reach a particular destination in comparison to flying or driving. For example, a flight from Chicago to New York City typically lasts approximately two hours. Covering the same distance via train may take at least a day. The exception is traveling on express commuter trains between select major cities. Such trains, some of which run the northeast, usually make fewer stops and do not have to negotiate traffic in dense urban areas such as Boston. As a result, they reach their destinations quickly.