From Chicago, there are a number of ways to travel the 300 miles to St. Louis. American, Southwest and United Airlines fly direct in about an hour and 15 minutes, with fares recently running $165 to $350 round trip. Normally, I drive the rear-numbing route through the corn fields, which takes about five hours and leaves me exhausted. But on my last trip, I took Amtrak, a five-hour-and-20-minute trip at $62 round trip that deposited me downtown near my hotel.
Compared to flying, I saved at least $100 and some degree of stress; the train requires no security screening, allowing me to show up just minutes before departure. There were no mandatory seatbelts or admonitions to stay seated, and when the free Wi-Fi didn’t work, which sometimes happens with the paid Wi-Fi in the air, I had access to the internet through my cellphone data plan. I was free to stretch and roam, though that mostly meant padding to the bar car for tea refills.
Why trade a roughly 75-minute flight for a 320-minute train ride? Conversely, time. Once you factor in the commute to the airport (in my case, one hour), suggested arrival at least an hour before takeoff, runway taxiing at touchdown, disembarkation and traveling to your destination (often an hour), flying takes about 255 minutes. I accepted the 65-minute difference as a productivity trade-off and the price of peace of mind.
I am not alone. During fiscal year 2018, Amtrak customers took 31.7 million trips, up 10 percent since 2008. Airlines carry more travelers — United States carriers transported 777.9 million passengers on domestic flights in 2018 — but Amtrak is particularly strong in the Northeast Corridor between hubs such as New York City and Washington, D.C. Amtrak recently announced the launch of Acela Nonstop service between the two cities, which will take about two hours and 35 minutes, beginning Sept. 23.
Some environmental metrics also favor trains. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that Amtrak uses 27 percent less fuel than domestic flights per passenger-mile traveled in 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available. The United States Department of Energy found intercity trains get nearly 57 passenger-miles per gallon versus cars at about 40.
The travel search website Hipmunk, which displays train options alongside flight results, found that on the top 100 Amtrak routes booked over the past year, train travel was cheaper 80 percent of the time. Travelers choosing the train saved an average of $132.
In the United States, routes are limited and trains are slower than flights (Amtrak often leads search results on Hipmunk sorted by “agony,” factoring in the length of the ride and stops). But the trip-duration difference of, for example, roughly two hours between Los Angeles and San Diego is surely canceled out by commuting to and from airports and submitting to security.
To find out, I ran searches for midweek fares in mid-October for economy seats on airlines and on Amtrak (other than its Acela train, which only sells business and first-class seats). I assumed a traveler was departing from downtown areas near a train station and that the destination was also the city center; these may vary in searches of your own. I also assumed no baggage fees, which, if incurred, could add $50 or more round trip to a plane fare; Amtrak allows each passenger to bring two bags and two personal items aboard. (I purposely didn’t consider intercity bus service, which combines the traffic-pitfalls of driving with the confinement of flying, though it is often the cheapest way to go).
For the city pairs below, I largely used the equation of flight time plus three hours to account for commuting to and from downtown areas on both ends to come up with true air transit time when compared with train travel.
The tipping point seems to be just shy of 300 miles, making long distances more efficient by air, especially if your time is limited. Flying from New York to Toronto, about 500 miles apart on the ground, for example, takes about 90 minutes and even if you generously add four hours commuting, you’re still better off flying versus taking a 12-hour-and-30-minute train.
Boston to New York City
Given the proximity of Boston Logan International Airport to downtown, and its many quick public transit options for travel there — running roughly 20 to 30 minutes from downtown — I adjusted the equation to flight time plus two and a half hours. I found midweek flights between Logan and New York City’s La Guardia Airport from $165 round trip on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, with a flight time of about one and a half hours. Adding two and a half hours came to four hours true transit time.
The Northeast Regional train takes between four and five hours for $110, versus the Acela, which takes three hours and 50 minutes, and costs $214, both fares round trip. Hipmunk found the average savings for train travel is $110. Acela was about $50 more expensive for about the same travel time, while the Northeast Regional matched travel time and saved $55. It’s no wonder the Northeast Corridor is Amtrak’s busiest.
Boston to Washington
Boston to Washington, about 440 miles apart, is another story. If you allow 30 minutes to get to the airport, 60 minutes preflight, 100 minutes in the air and 60 minutes on the other side (conservatively; Washington National Airport is about 20 minutes from downtown via Metro train), that’s just over four hours. The Acela takes seven hours; the Northeast Regional is closer to eight hours. The three to four hours difference favors flying. Could price make a difference?
No. I found round-trip flights on JetBlue at $117 between Boston Logan and Washington National and round-trip train tickets at $376 (Acela) and $267 (Northeast Regional). Flights were cheaper and quicker.
New York City to Washington
Hipmunk’s data showed median New York City to Washington National round trips by plane at $292. I found cheaper nonstops from $257 on American and Delta. Flights take about 75 minutes, putting true transit time at four hours and 15 minutes.
Covering the roughly 240 miles, the Acela takes three hours and costs $183, whereas the Northeast Regional took 3.5 hours and cost $106. Measured by time or money, the train is the winner.
Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia
The roughly 140 miles between Seattle and Vancouver takes about four hours by train and one hour by air. I found round-trip train fares at $68 and airfares at $205 on Air Canada, for a savings of $137; Hipmunk put the typical savings at $203.
For flights to or from the United States, Air Canada recommends arriving at the airport two hours in advance of the flight, making true flight transit time five hours.
The United States and Canada recently signed a preclearance agreement that allows travelers to clear customs and immigration before they leave a foreign country. This is already in effect in eight Canadian airports, including Vancouver, and Amtrak said it is working with both governments to establish similar procedures for train routes. Re-entering the United States via train from Vancouver, there’s a 10- to 15-minute border stop for immigration inspection. Even so, the train wins on time and money.
Los Angeles to San Diego
Given the utility of a car in Southern California, many may want to drive the 120 miles between Los Angeles and San Diego, though traffic backups can add to transit time.
Hipmunk found the median round-trip train price was $46, and flights $129 for a savings of $83. I found tickets on the Pacific Surfliner running $70 round trip and flights on United from $139, for a savings of $69. The train takes roughly two hours and 45 minutes, and adding commuting time to the one-hour flight brings travel time to four hours. The train wins both measurements, saving an hour and nearly $70.
Tampa, Fla., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
About 260 miles separate Tampa from Fort Lauderdale. Hipmunk has the median round-trip train ticket between them at $59, and flights at $173 for a $114 savings. I found round-trip flights from $150 on Southwest and train fare on the Silver Star route at $68, for a difference of $82.
Travel time one way by train is four hours and 40 minutes. The flight takes about 70 minutes. Adding three hours for ground transit comes to four hours and 10 minutes by air. By spending 30 more minutes on the train, you could save $82. Sounds like a deal.
