Originally Posted by carless
On the West Coast we have no tradition of rail. In Sacramento, the historic center of rail, to go north you leave at midnight only. To Portland, OR for example it's $90 and 16 hrs. Greyhound is $63 and 13 hrs. Driving is $45 and 10 hrs. A bike is on Amtrak is $15 dollars boxed, Greyhound is about the same. These are not commuter trains, these are recreation trains. To reinforce that they call it the Coast Starlight, will only sell you a pass if you don't repeat two destinations, and frequently are late.
Steve, I would hate to start a West Coast-East Coast rivalry by rapp'n about who has the worst transportation system. Word. HAHA.
I keep forgetting how horrible rail trainsit is on the west coast. It's incredible how late you have to catch those trains and no wonder they run empty. Unbelievable.
I still think you unestimated the cost of the vehicle. The cost of motor transport is more than just the gas alone.