Also, in comparative terms, gasoline is heavily taxed in Europe compared to taxes in U.S. which tends to support European rail.
In the UK rail travel is expensive unless you plan a journey well in advance to get a good discount deal.
To travel on your own instead of a car can still have marginally nothing in it on a long journey, say London to Crewe. For two of us to travel to London and back (35 miles each way) by train in off-peak time on a Saturday would cost £32 ($50), to take the car the gas cost would be about $24 plus parking which could about the same, so the train still comes out on top,but if there are three or more going then the train becomes prohibitive.
Currently our gas prices are down to about the equivalent of $7.25 a US gallon, it was about $8.30 a few weeks ago.
