Farmer_Bill posted:I checked one-way flight from Chicago to Seattle at 2PM this Saturday - $300
Then the same trip via Amtrak, also leaving 2PM this Saturday - $400
Amtrak travel is much cheaper per hour than flying. I'm surprised more businessmen don't choose it.
A major difference between long distance trains and airlines is that Amtrak, on the Empire Builder for example, makes over 40 stops along the way. This is a critical difference, and illustrates a value of the long distance trains that some people are ignorant about. Not the people living along the train route, though.
The train stops at places like Portage, WI, Red Wing, MN, Stanley, ND, Havre MT, Sandpoint, ID, and dozens of other towns, connecting those folks with the outside world. Other than driving, which for many is not an option, there's no other alternative. There's no airline service to these places!
