Eugen Leitl wrote: > > On Fri, 31 Jan 2003, Thomas Shaddack wrote: > > > I don't know how it works in the US, but railroads are both comfortable > > and pretty reliable in Europe. > > A bit too expensive, especially in Germany. I also like being able to work > on the train -- given that here cities are only a few kilotons apart and > ICEs are pretty speedy flying can take longer. > > Otherwise I agree, bahning beyond 5-6 h starts to become tedious.
ICE trains bloody good. Returning from a holiday once I went from my hotel in Berlin to my local pub, 50m from front door, in London, by train, in 12 hours. The first half of the journey, ICE to Koln, was only about a quarter of the total time. Koln to Brussel was sloooooooow but I got to see some beautiful scenery. Then Eurostar - fast on mainland, semi-fast in Britain. When the Channel Tunnel Rail link is finished (15 years late - pah - the only reason British government agreed to build tunnel in first place was French said they would pay for, & won, all of it, & Thatcher might have been a free marketeer but she was a nationalist first and was shamed into agreeing - same as the USA is going to stay in manned spaceflight because of China) & when fast link to Koln complete (maybe already?) the trip would be perhaps 8 or 9 hours. OK. flight is maybe 2 hours. But it would have taken half an hour to get to Berlin airport, for international flight they'd want you in an hour early, planes are even worse timekeepers than trains, and it would take me an hour to get out of the airport at the other end with baggage checks & customs & passports, then 2 hours to get home from Heathrow, or just over an hour from Gatwick. And so *much* less comfortable than train. And you have to book - train you just turn up and walk on. But really I like the ICE train for the same reason I like rockets and big buildings and bridges with cables in funny places and large shiny objects in general.... GOSH! WOW!
